The Family Table: Lasagna

My husband has a very finicky appetite so whenever I can make something that he loves and will eat for several days…I’m all for it.  Homemade lasagna with salad and garlic bread is his favorite and I’m sure, if it were up to him, we would have it more often.  I want to share my recipe with you for making a delicious lasagna that will have your family coming back for more.

Ingredients: 

1 – 1lb box of lasagna (approx. 12 noodles needed for recipe)

1 1/2 pound of hamburger

1 roll of Italian sausage

1 tsp (or so) brown sugar

8 ounce of ricotta cheese

1 package of mozzarella cheese

1 package of mild cheddar cheese

2 1/2 – 7oz jars of marinara sauce (I used Prego however homemade is even better)

Instructions:

• Cook hamburger and italian sausage together in skillet (drain excess fat).  Set aside.
• Add marinara to pot over medium low heat.  To the sauce, add about one teaspoon of brown sugar, hamburger and sausage.  Stir to combine.  Let heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the meat sauce is heating, cook lasagna noodles according to box instructions.
• Drain noodles and lay flat on aluminum foil that’s been sprayed with a nonstick spray (this stops the noodles from sticking together.)
• To a medium bowl, mix together cheddar, mozzarella.
• In your 9×13 glass pan, add a small amount of your meat sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Add 4 noodles on top of sauce.
• Slather (I hate that word, but it’s appropriate for what you need to do) a thin layer ricotta cheese on the first layer of noodles
• Add a portion of the cheese mixture on top of ricotta cheese
• Add more meat sauce
• Add another layer of noodles and continue the layer process until you have 3 layers of noodles
• Top final layer with meat sauce and remaining cheese mixture.
• Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes – uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
• Add a nice rich garlic bread and leafy green salad and there you go…a delicious meal!

Enjoy!