Mel's Lasagna

YIELD: 9X13-INCH PAN

Mel's FABULOUS LASAGNA

PREP TIME 35 MINUTES

COOK TIME 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR 55 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

RED SAUCE:

•  1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
•  1/2 cup chopped onion
•  28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
•  6-ounce can tomato paste
•  2 teaspoons sugar
•  2 teaspoons dried basil
•  1 teaspoon dried oregano
•  1/8 teaspoon dried thyme (her recipe calls for 1/4 tsp)
•  1/4 teaspoon salt
•  1/4 teaspoon pepper

CREAMY FILLING:

•  1 container (15-ounce) ricotta cheese or a combination of ricotta and cottage cheese (see note)
•  1 large egg
•  1/2 teaspoon dried basil
•  1 tablespoon parsley flakes
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

NOODLES AND CHEESE:

•  3-4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (or Italian cheese blend)
•  9 no-boil lasagna noodles (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the sauce, in a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook the ground meat and onion until the meat is cooked through. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, dried basil, salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes.
2. For the filling, in a medium bowl mix the ricotta, egg, basil, parsley, salt, and Parmesan cheese.
3. To assemble the lasagna, lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan. Spread 1/2 cup or so of the sauce over the bottom into a thin layer. Layer as follows: 3 noodles, red sauce, creamy filling, mozzarella, 3 noodles, red sauce, creamy filling, mozzarella, 3 noodles, red sauce, remaining mozzarella. (Basically, all layers - the noodles, red sauce, mozzarella - are split into three layers and the creamy filling is divided among two layers.)
4. Cover with greased foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, bake 20-30 minutes more until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

NOTES

I use the Barilla or Target (whole wheat) brand of no-boil lasagna noodles with good success. You can certainly use regular lasagna noodles; boil them for 1-2 minutes less time than the package directions so they don't soften too much while baking.

I've recently updated (June 2015) some aspects of the recipe to reflect how I've changed it slightly over the years and to simplify the directions a bit. If you love the older version - the only recent changes are that I use crushed tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes (keep them undrained if using diced) and I've cut down the tomato paste to make the lasagna a bit more saucy (the original recipe called for 12 ounces of tomato paste). Also, I know it's not traditional, but I usually use half ricotta cheese and half cottage cheese. It helps the filling stay creamier and not as dry - I use a cup of each when doing that.

Freezable Meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of lightly greased aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to about 40 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, uncover and bake 30-40 minutes longer.

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