Lasagna Recipe
Is there anything better than a homemade lasagna recipe on a cold day? I don’t think so! This is my recipe (from my cookbook!), and I hope you make it and love it!
INGREDIENTS
– 1 tbsp olive oil
– 1 medium onion, diced
– 2 tsp kosher salt, separated
– 5 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
– 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
– 2 lbs ground beef
– 1/2 cup red wine
– 6 oz tomato paste
– 15 oz tomato sauce
– 15 oz crushed tomatoes
– 2 1/2 cups cottage cheese
– 2 large eggs, beaten
– 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
– 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
– 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more to garnish
– 10 oz oven-ready lasagna noodles (10-12 noodles)
– 1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded
INSTRUCTIONS
– In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and 1 tsp of the salt and cook until soft and translucent, 4-6 minutes.
– Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the beef until browned, 8-12 minutes.
– Drain off any extra liquid and pour in the red wine. Simmer until the wine is mostly evaporated, 2-3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
– In a large bowl, combine the cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, remaining 1 tsp salt, and the parsley. Mix and set aside.
– Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan well.
– Begin by layering 1 cup of the meat sauce evenly on the bottom of the pan. This will be a very thin layer, but it helps the pieces come out of the pan when removed. Layer noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping. The noodles may not be long enough for the pan, so a noodle may need to be cut to fit. It usually takes about 5 noodles per layer. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Next, add a layer of half of the meat sauce. Layer on half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering, starting with the noodles. Finish with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Note: At this point, the lasagna can be covered tightly and frozen for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, let thaw in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
– Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and finish baking until it is bubbling and the noodles are tender when pierced with a knife, an additional 20-30 minutes. Let cool 15-20 minutes before cutting into pieces and serving.
