Foodie Fran's Lasagna
Yum yum lasagna! Love making it love eating it! Once again my motto "simple, easy and delicious"! Most delicately tastefully made with homemade lasagna noodle, store bought noodles works just as well.
For the sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
I small onion diced
Salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic minced
2 lbs ground beef, chicken or turkey
2-28 oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes (ground well in blender)
1-5.5 oz can tomato paste
1-tbsp butter
About 4 basil leaves chiffonade
For the lasagna:
1-500g box original lasagna noodles (not oven-ready)
1-500g container of ricotta cheese
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1-340g grated mozzarella
About 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus extra for topping).
Directions
In a large pot heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, pinch of salt and pepper and cook until they start to get soft. Add garlic and sauté for one minute. Add the ground meat. Cook well breaking up the meat. Add the ground tomatoes, paste, butter and basil. Finally add about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper, stir well. Raise the heat until it comes to a full boil. Then lower the heat to a simmer putting on a lid vented with a wooden spoon. Stir frequently, cook 1 hour.
In the meantime, bring another large pot to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and add the lasagna noodles and cook until al dente. When done, carefully drain most of the water and add cold tap water.
Prepare a 9x13 casserole sprayed with cooking spray. Add the ricotta cheese, parsley and 1/3 of the grated Parmesan cheese to the beaten egg and set aside.
Using a slotted spoon, start assembling the lasagna by adding about 1 cup of meat sauce to the casserole. Add 4 lasagna noodles. Generously add 1 cup of meat sauce, 1/3 of the parmesan cheese followed by 1/3 of the mozzarella. Add the next 4 noodles. Spread the ricotta cheese mixture, then spread 1/3 of the mozzarella. Continue with the next layer of 4 noodles. Add 1 cup of meat sauce, followed by 1/3 of the parmesan cheese, then the remaining mozzarella. Follow with the final layer of 4 noodles. Generously cover with remaining meat sauce. (You will have more than enough sauce to make this recipe. Simply place remaining sauce in refrigerator for later use.) Sprinkle with the extra parmesan cheese.
Cover casserole tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Very important: when you take the lasagna out of the oven, let it sit for about 20 minutes so all that yummy liquid can be absorbed :)
#homemadelasagna #homecooking
Foodie Fran
