I’m not the biggest lasagna fan on earth but I gotta say, this one is the best lasagna I have ever had. My husband agreed so I will stand by this claim. It is full of flavour but light on sauce. I am not keen on a lot tomato sauce in pasta dishes. I find it overwhelming to my palate especially when it is bitter or sour like many store bought versions. If you agree, chances are you will love this lasagna too.
What I also love and hopefully you will too, I use oven ready pasta because I hate adding unnecessary steps when preparing for company. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Perfect for: party of 4 – 6
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serve with: Caesar Salad or Mixed Greens with balsamic dressing
Presentation: serve on the center of whites plates to showcase layers and natural colors. Be sure to add side plates for salad.
Tip: If you are making this dish ahead, refrigerate prepared lasagna until an hour before you plan to eat. Do not bake ahead of time.

INGREDIENTS

1 package oven-ready lasagna noodles
1, 16 oz block or round fresh mozzarella
1 cup shaved fresh parmesan

SAUCE
One 26 – 28 ounce can/carton finely chopped tomatoes (I only use Pomi)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 fresh basil leaves
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

CHEESE MIXTURE
1 cup shaved fresh parmesan
2.5 cups ricotta cheese
2 eggs
4 fresh basil leaves (chiffonade) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiffonade)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper

MEAT FILLING
1 pound hamburger
1 small onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot (diced)
1 zucchini (diced)
10 – 12 mushrooms (diced)
1/2 red pepper (diced)
1/2 green pepper (diced)
1 tsp dried oregano
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Add all your sauce ingredients to a medium sauce pan. Stir, cover and set on medium heat. Once this comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for approx. 30 minutes. Stir or shake (to avoid splatter) often.

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In a medium bowl mix together your cheese ingredients. Set aside.

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Place a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is to temperature, add roughly a tbsp of olive oil and your ground beef. Using a wooden spoon separate the beef to avoid large clumps. Add the remainder of your filling ingredients (chopped vegetables, garlic and seasoning). Sautee until meat is throughly cooked and veggies are slightly softened. Approximately 8 – 10 minutes.

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Cut your mozzarella into thin slices and place these and your lasagna noodles on your work space.
Once your sauce, cheese mixture and meat filling are prepared place these next to the mozza and noodles to create an assembly line.

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Now it is time to construct your lasagna. In a 13 x 9″ oven safe pan place your ingredients in the following order:

  1. 2 ladles of sauce and spread on the bottom
  2. lasagna noodle to cover the pan. Do not overlap. Break noodles as needed to fill empty spaces.
  3. 1/2 the ricotta cheese mixture. Gently spread over the noodles.
  4. 1/2 the beef filling. Gently spread over the cheese mixture.

REPEAT!

Then….

  1. Add 2 more ladles of tomato sauce
  2. Add another layer of noodles
  3. Top with remaining tomato sauce

You will now finish your lasagna with lots of cheese! Place your sliced mozzarella over the top of the final sauce layer. These do not have to touch, spread the entire block loosely over the top. Top with 1 cup of shaved parmesan filling in the any spaces left from the mozza.

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Cover with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 35 mins. Remove foil and bake for an additional 35 mins or till cheese in golden brown. Like this. Yum!

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