Meaty Lasagna

I LOVE this recipe. It is quick and easy. We always have leftovers which is fantastic since I won't have to cook the next day. I took a picture of half of the lasagna just so you could see the layers. I don't use a full size lasagna dish either. My dish is just large enough to fit the length of a lasagne pasta (yes, I spelled that one right, it's what Mueller's calls their pasta).

Look at all that cheesy goodness!

INGREDIENTS

clove of minced garlic

1 lb. ground beef

1 jar spaghetti sauce (I use Prego Traditional)

6 Lasagna noodles

8 oz. ricotta cheese

2 c. mozzarella cheese

grated parmesan

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400

Cook the noodles as directed on the package. Strain and let cool. In the meantime cook your meat and garlic on medium-high heat. When meat is cooked through, add the spaghetti sauce to your desired thickness. (I use the whole jar-normal size not the jumbo). Spoon enough of the mixture to cover the bottom of the lasagna dish. Cover with two noodles. Next cover the two noodles with about half of your remaining meat mixture. Top with ricotta cheese, then sprinkle your mozzarella on top of the ricotta. (Eyeball it, I use half the container of ricotta and about a cup of the mozzarella. I found that if you put the ricotta in a bowl and mush it down with a fork it's easier to spoon out onto the lasagna.) Layer 2 more noodles down, followed by the remaining meat and cheeses. Top with the last two noodles. Sprinkle with parmesan. Place foil over your pan and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove foil, place back in oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

* Word to the wise. Sometimes the filling may bubble out of the dish. Line the bottom rack of your oven with foil to catch any drips that may occur during the baking process.

If you have leftovers cover and place in the fridge. To reheat simply cover with foil and add 10 minutes to the original baking time. You may want to place the leftover lasagna in another pan to bake. I've noticed that if I use the same lasagna dish the sauce and the cheese from the eaten side tend to bake onto the dish and it makes the pan harder to clean- not impossible, just harder to clean.