What's for Dinner? #1: Weekday Lasagna




Main course for dinner last night was the Weekday Lasagna as explained in part one of this 4 part series.  You can find that post link at the top of this one.

Step 1:  Gather the ingredients


For this recipe I used:
  • 1 pound of ground beef
  • 2 Tbsp of Onion Onion (TM) from Tastefully Simple
  • 1 - 28 oz. of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 & 3/4 cups of water
  • 1 - 6 oz. can of tomato paste
  • 1 packet of Italian spaghetti sauce mix
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups of cottage cheese
  • 2 Tbsp of shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 6 oven ready lasagna noodles (no pre-cooking required!)
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Now, there are healthier options for some of these, but I just got what was available.  So now its time to start combining ingredients!

Step 2:  Combine ground beef & onion in a pan and cook until done.


I have always hated cooking meat...and have had to learn the best way to do it.  I panic its not done.  But, especially after it gets going good, if I stand over the pan and keep stirring it around and turning it over, and breaking it up into very small bits, that seems to work best.

Step 3:  Add the crushed tomatoes, water, tomato paste & spaghetti sauce.  Bring to a boil, cover & simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, while stirring occasionally.



Step 4:  While the above is simmering, combine your egg, the cottage cheese and the Parmesan cheese in a bowl.


Step 5:  When the sauce & meat combination is done, spread 2 cups of the meat sauce on the bottom of a greased 13x9 cooking dish.  Then layer with 3 of the lasagna noodles, half of the cottage cheese mix & half of the rest of the meat sauce.  Continue creating these same layers until all ingredients are used up.


I had to split my ingredients between two smaller dishes, as I didn't have a 13 x 9 that wasn't being used.

Step 6:  Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 F for about 50 minutes.  Next, uncover and spread with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until cheese is melted & bubbly.


Step 7:  Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before cutting.  Then serve and enjoy!!!


The other two recipes are coming up in the next posts!

0 Responses to "What's for Dinner? #1: Weekday Lasagna"