One of THE BEST Lasagnas I have Ever Made

Cheesy.Molten.Goodness

So I racked my brain all day Sunday trying to figure out meals Toby and I can eat together. To some of you this may sound crazy. To others that know my husband ... well.. you get it. The problem isn't eating together necessarily.... We eat together almost every night if we are at home together. The problem is eating the same thing at dinner time. Toby could eat the same thing every day, three times a day for a year and he probably wouldn't care. He likes what he likes ( pizza, cheese steaks, steak, salmon etc) and I am ok with that. I am always wanting to try new recipes, but he isn't really into my likes ( HOLY MEXICAN!)We are both used to making dinners for one from living on our own and we know what we like. Being newlyweds, I really want to make an effort to cook more dinners Toby likes so we can eat the same thing.

This was one of the recipes we came up with that we both like ( I was actually surprised and had no idea he liked lasagna) so I stretched out my olive branch and we had lasagna last night for dinner! We also decided tacos were a good idea to try too. I will dress mine up with my flare ( guacamole, pickled onions , sour cream etc) and he will just have beef and cheese.. baby steps. At least we are eating the same thing. I have made lasagna before so this is the recipe I loosley followed. I would have preferred a veggie lasagna so if that sounds better to you use whatever you have on hand. You can layer this with anything. If you would rather use a beschamel sauce instead of red gravy go for it. Use your imagination! 

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
•   1/2 onion, chopped ( optional)
• 1 -2  jar spaghetti sauce ( depending on how much you like)
• 1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•   1egg
• 1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles ( I used no bake)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Chefs Note: Depending on how much/little you prefer of these you may need to change the quantities. I used home made gravy( the one I made with my mom). If  are doing that 1-2 cans of sauce should do it. If you do 2 you should have some left over for another night. Same thing with ricotta. I like a lasagna heavy with cheese so I used a bit more. Also with mozzarella cheese. Make sure you save enough for the top. That is the best part! I have never used the no bake noodles before, but I have to say they turned out great for this recipe. They were not crunchy or underdone at all. Also make sure you season each step of this recipe. Season the beef,gravy, ricotta etc. Last thing you want is a bland lasagna.

Directions:

 

1. In a large skillet, cook and stir ground beef until brown. Add onions; saute until onions are transparent.Add meat to gravy.
2. In a medium size bowl, combine ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, and egg( which keeps the mixture together after being baked.)
3. Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan. Layer with uncooked lasagna noodles, cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese, and meat sauce. Continue layering until all ingredients are used, reserving 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F  oven for 45 minutes. Uncover, and top with remaining half cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. 
5.  Remove from oven, and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.( PLEASE let the lasagna sit after you take it out of the oven) I know you will really want to eat it, but 1. you will burn your mouth, and 2 it will be really runny. It needs time to set.

Look at those Layers!

Holy Cheese!