Simple and Delicious Homemade Lasagna

Who doesn’t love a simple and delicious homemade lasagna? I know I do.

I always thought lasagna was a fancy dish that would take hours and hours to prep and cook. Now, being a mom of five little humans I do not have hours and hours to make dinner. Sometimes I don’t even have time to brush my hair.

Anyhow, with this recipe you can put the whole lasagna together in the morning, leave it in the fridge covered, and then about an hour before dinner pop the lasagna in the oven, and dinner will be ready. Serve this simple and delicious homemade lasagna with a salad and garlic bread and you are all set.

You might also want to double the recipe and freeze the second batch for another night. It might be a little more work, but it’s great for nights where you don’t feel like cooking.

I really hope you give this recipe a try for your next family dinner.

Ingredients for simple and delicious homemade lasagna:

• Lasagna noodles- I just use regular lasagna noodles and follow the cooking instruction on the back of the box. There are oven-ready lasagna noodles, but for some reason, I always fear that they won’t cook properly and then my lasagna will be ruined. Weird, I know. It’s probably all in my head. But just to be on the safe side I always cook my lasagna noodles.
• Pasta sauce- Just use whatever brand your family likes. I usually like to get the basil and garlic flavor.
• Meat- Ground beef is my go-to meat for my pasta sauce and lasagna. I have used ground turkey before and even ground pork will work. On occasion, I would add Italian sausages to my meat mixture too.
• Seasoning: Always salt and pepper. Italian seasoning is a great seasoning when making any type of pasta. Fresh garlic is delicious in almost anything. But if you don’t have them on hand, powder garlic will work too. I always have both in my pantry.
• Cheese: You will need two types of cheese: shredded mozzarella cheese and ricotta cheese
• One egg. This will help bind together the cheeses.

It’s all about layering when you are putting together the lasagna.

1. A cup of sauce on the bottom of the dish.
2. Now add your noodles.
3. Add about 2 1/2 cups of meat sauce.
4. Now add 1 cup of the cheese mixture.
5. Add more noodles.
6. Top off with the rest of the meat sauce and cheese mixture.
7. Now Sprinkle on 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, and it’s ready to be bake.

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Simple and Delicious Homemade Lasagna

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Dinner

By Kalu Lor – Serves: 8-12

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 25 minutes – Total Time: 45 minutes

Just a good old classic lasagna layered with a meaty sauce, mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and lasagna noodles. Easy to make and delicious for any night of the week.

Ingredients

• 1 box of Lasagna noodles
• 2- 24 oz. Pasta sauce ( approximately 6 cups)
• 1lb of ground beef
• 1/2 tsp of fresh garlic or garlic powdered
• 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper
• 8 oz Ricotta cheese
• 16 oz (1 lb) Shredded Mozzarella cheese- set aside1 cup of cheese for topping
• 1 Egg
• 13x9 inch casserole dish or a lasagna dish

Instructions

1

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

2

Add water to a large pot, add 2 heaping Tbsp of salt to the water, and put it over high heat.

3

While you are waiting for the water to boil. Let’s prepare the meat sauce. In a medium skillet or pan cook ground beef until no longer pink. Now add salt, black pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning to the cooked meat. Give that a good mix and drain any excess oil from the meat. Then add our pasta sauce. Mix until well combined, turned off the heat, and set aside.

4

Once the water is boiling. Cook lasagna noodles for 6-8 minutes top. The lasagna noodles need structure, so overcooking the noodles will cause them to be mushy and we don't want that. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water, and immediately lay them flat on a plate. You want a total of 12-14 lasagna noodles.

5

In a medium-size bowl mix together mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, and an egg with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix until well combined.

Now you’re ready to assemble the lasagna.

6

In a 9x13-inch casserole or lasagna dish, ladle a cup of sauce and spread it over the bottom of the dish. Arrange one layer of lasagna noodles (about 5-6 long noodles, the edge may overlap, depending on your pan) over the sauce.

7

Ladle another 2 1/2 cups of the meat sauce over the noodles. Make sure to cover the edges too, Now add 1-2 cups of the cheese mixture on top of the meat sauce.

8

Add the second layer of noodles, along with the rest of the meat sauce, and cheese mixture.

9

Now that you have the second layer done, sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella cheese on the top of the cheese mixture.

10

Place the lasagna in the oven and cook for 20-25 or until bubbling. Then broil for 2-3 minutes until the top is golden brown. CAUTION: Don't leave the lasagna alone while on broil. Stand right in front of the oven and make sure you don't burn the lasagna. Just a warning from someone who might have done it one too many times.

11

Allow the lasagna to cool down for at least 15 minutes, but the longer the better. This time will allow the lasagna to come together and create cleaner cuts. Enjoy this with a Caesar salad and some homemade garlic bread.