Momma's Lasagna

You guys know that cookbook my mom made for Christmas, and how amazing it is? She filled it with a bunch of recipes from my childhood, and even updated some of her classics so my vegetarian/gluten free sister would be able to enjoy them, too. My mom always made the best lasagna, so I decided to take the time to make it today on my day off! There are 3 different ways to make this recipe, and I'll be adding little notes to show you which ingredients I used to make it my own! You can thank Momma Lunsford for this recipe!

Momma's Lasagna:

{Meat, Veggie, and a Compromise}

Ingredients:

Veggies:

~1 bell pepper, diced ***

~1 large onion, diced ***

~2 garlic cloves, diced (oops, I forgot this time)

~10-12 mushrooms, sliced ***

~1 bag fresh spinach

~2 carrots, shredded

~2 zucchini, thinly sliced

~2 squash, thinly sliced

Dairy:

~8 oz ricotta cheese ***

~8 oz small curd cottage cheese ***

~2 cups mozzarella cheese ***

~1 cup parmesan cheese ***

~1 egg ***

Meat:

~1 1/2 lbs of ground sirloin/ground chuck mixture ***

~1 lb Italian sausage ***

Pantry:

~2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce ***

~2 cans petite diced tomatoes ***

~1 can tomato sauce ***

~EVOO

Herbs (as fresh as you can):

~basil, a large handful, torn or chopped

~thyme, a small handful, chopped

~oregano, a small handful, chopped (I used it from the jar, sorry mom!) ***

~salt and pepper to taste

So these directions are a little insane, straight from the mouth of my momma....just bear with me (;

Directions:

1. If you are feeling carnivorous, start browning your meat with a little EVOO on medium heat in a large sauce pot, drain and set aside on paper towels. If meat is not your thing, throw your chopped onions and green peppers into the EVOO and let them start to sweat, tossing in your garlic and shrooms (really mom, shrooms?) the last 2 minutes.

2. Add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and your cooked meat. Start to season your sauce by adding the herbs and salt and pepper, and continue to adjust during your cooking.

3. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, cottage, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1 cup of parm. Add the beaten egg.

4. Here's the compromise: stop your cheese mixture here and you'll have old-school lasagna (this is what I did tonight for dinner). To take a walk on the wild side (I told you, she's crazy!!) add your roasted spinach and a pinch of nutmeg to the cheese mixture. Cook your pasta, and let's build!

5. Start with 2 cups of sauce on the bottom of a 9x12 inch pan, layer cooked lasagna, add cheese mixture, then a layer of roasted veggies (if you wish, not for me though), and repeat!

6. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, remove foil, add 1 cup of mozzarella and 1 cup of parmesan cheese, and return to oven to brown your cheese, around 10 minutes.

7. Let this rest for AT LEAST 15 minutes while you're getting your garlic bread out of the oven, tossing your salad, etc. Bring it to the table and wait for applause!

***Indicates what I used in making my lasagna tonight. While my pan was in the oven, it started overflowing because I made the layers really thick, and I still have sauce leftover to make spaghetti for lunch tomorrow! Before I got this cookbook, I made whatever recipe for lasagna I could find; but now that I have this recipe, I will never go back to the old Kraft lasagna again!

~S

#lasagna #homemade