Lasagna

An easy lasagna layered with spaghetti sauce, lasagna noodles and dabs of ricotta or cottage cheese and mozzarella, topped with Parmesan. Add browned hamburg for meat lasagna.

VegetarianNo added sugarFreezer-friendly

Contains: milk, wheat. Based on the ingredients as written; check package labels, which can change.

From the recipe book of Sandra Mills, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained cook in our family.

Lasagna with a square served showing layers of noodles, meat sauce and cheese
  • Prep 30 min
  • Cook 25 min
  • Total 55 min
  • Yield 1 (13 x 9-inch) pan

Updated

Sandra Mills's lasagna uses her pasta sauce and a light hand with the cheese: dabs of ricotta or cottage cheese alternated with mozzarella along each layer of noodles. For a meat lasagna, cook hamburg and crumble it into the sauce.

She prefers Ronzoni lasagna noodles because they are lighter and don't have ridges, but any pasta works.

Ingredients

  • Lasagna noodles (Sandra prefers Ronzoni)
  • Spaghetti sauce (her Simple Sauce for Pasta)
  • Ricotta or cottage cheese
  • Shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Shredded parmesan cheese
  • Browned hamburg (optional, for meat lasagna)

Instructions

  1. Cook the noodles. Cook the noodles according to the directions on the box.
  2. First layer. Line the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass casserole with sauce. Place 2 strips of lasagna on the sauce and spread sauce over the pasta.
  3. Cheese. Alternate 1 teaspoon of ricotta or cottage cheese with 1 teaspoon of mozzarella along the length of the pasta.
  4. Repeat. Add another layer of pasta and repeat until the pan is filled, ending with cheese. Sprinkle the top with parmesan.
  5. Bake. Cover with foil and bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 5 minutes more until browned.

VegetarianNo added sugar

Tips

  • To freeze: cool it quickly, pack it in airtight containers or freezer bags, and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat to 165°F.
  • Food safety: cook ground beef and pork to 160°F, and ground turkey or chicken to 165°F, checked with an instant-read thermometer in the center.
  • Let the lasagna rest 10 minutes before cutting so the layers hold together.

Serve it with

Pairs with: Chianti or another Sangiovese. Wine pairing guide

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