Lasagna

Photos courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

      As a kid, one of my favorite birthday dinners was lasagna. I love noodles and when they are topped with a rich meaty sauce and covered in cheeses, it just can't get any better.
     This dish is actually easy to make, bakes in a casserole and feeds a crew. It's very filling so count on leftovers and use your freezer space.

Lasagna
1 lb. ground beef
1 lg. Italian sausage
1 sm. green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt and pepper

1-24 oz. carton cottage cheese
1 tsp. parsley or chives
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1-8 oz. pkg. Mozzerella cheese, shredded

1-1/2 can pasta sauce
16-18 pepperoni slices
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. fennel (optional)

9 lasagna noodles
salt

olive oil


Heat a large pan of water to boil. Add salt and olive oil. When water is rapidly boiling, add noodles one at a time, stirring so that they don't stick together. Cook about 9 minutes until al a dente or just tender.

Meanwhile brown meat with onion, pepper and garlic. Add some salt and pepper. Cook until no longer pink (about 10 minutes) and drain excess liquid.

In a small bowl, mix cottage cheese, parsley, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Refrigerate until needed.

In another small bowl, combine pasta sauce, pepperoni slices and spices. Stir well.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray coat a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Spread one ladle of sauce thinly over bottom of pan. Layer 3 noodles over top of sauce. Spread another layer of sauce on noodles and then top with meat. Spread the cheese mixture over the meat and add another layer of noodles. 

Keep layering so that it goes noodles, sauce, meat and cheese on top.

Bake for 45 minutes. Let rest before slicing. Serves 8-9.

*Note - if you wish, mix pasta sauce with meat for one less layer.

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