Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Easy Lasagna, Peas, Green Beans


I got this lasagna recipe from my mom, but she got it from someone in her family years ago (maybe an aunt?).

Easy Lasagna
1/2 lb ground beef
1 bottle spaghetti sauce
1 (16 oz) carton cottage cheese
3/4 c water
dried basil
Italian seasoning
garlic powder
9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 (8 oz) bag shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)

Brown ground beef and drain. In a large bowl, mix together meat, sauce, cottage cheese and water. Add basil, Italian seasoning, and garlic to taste (I probably use about 1/2 tsp each). In a greased 9x13, pour 1 cup sauce to cover the pan. Then, start the layers: arrange 3 noodles, then about 1 1/2 c sauce, and top with about 1/2 c cheese. Repeat two more times, using all the remaining cheese on the top. Bake, covered with foil, at 375 for one hour. Remove from oven and let sit for 15-25 minutes before serving.


Sides
frozen peas
1 can green beans

Microwave frozen peas. Microwave green beans. Season both with salt and pepper to taste.

2 comments:

Tianna said...

You say uncooked lasagna noodles. Then you say to put them in, uncooked, into the lasagna. Are they supposed to be the oven-ready noodles, then? As opposed to regular lasagna noodles?

Rachelle said...

Where did my comment go?! Tianna, I replied to you yesterday, I promise. Sorry for the technological glitch. Now to your question...

I have always used traditional lasagna noodles in this recipe (that's what I've found on sale, and I believe that's all that was invented when my relative first used this recipe). The noodles always cook just fine, but since the traditional noodles don't "soak up" moisture like oven-ready noodles, you have to let you lasagna sit at least 15 minutes after baking so that it has a chance to firm up. This recipe leaves you with great leftovers that aren't too dry.

I would venture to guess that this recipe would also work with oven-ready (also called no-boil) noodles because of the added water in the sauce. You probably would not have to let the lasagna sit for very long in the end, and you might end up with leftovers that are a tad dry.

I'm all for experimentation in the kitchen (as long as you have a good sense of humor!), so if all you have on hand is oven-ready noodles, give it a try! I would love to hear how it goes!

I will not claim this to be any gourmet recipe, but it is a favorite for my family and pretty fast/easy as far as lasagna recipes go. Let me know if you have any questions or feedback!