Recipe: Italian Mama's Lasagna

One of my favorite things to make during the colder months is lasagna. My family loves Italian food and this recipe is a favorite of mine. The changes to the recipe that I make are in red. You can try it with the normal recipe or try it with my edits. It’s up to you either way this recipe is delicious. 

Total Time:

1 hr 20 min

Prep

10 min

Inactive

10 min

Cook

1 hr 0 min

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for pan
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey ( I use Italian Sausage, chopped up finely, you can use a food processor)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced ( I use a bit more garlic 1 1/2 cloves of garlic)
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (8-ounce) jar tomato sauce
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (8-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan ( I use fresh Parmesan and grate it.)
• 2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded mozzarella ( I use fresh Mozzarella)
• 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded Cheddar ( I use fresh Cheddar)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish.

In a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and saute meat, onion, and garlic until meat is browned, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon. Drain pan of fat and add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, then mix in cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and seasoning salt. 

Spread a little of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay half the noodles in the bottom of the baking dish, overlapping by 1/2-inch. Spread half the egg and cottage cheese mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle half the mozzarella and Cheddar evenly over the cottage cheese mixture. Pour half the meat sauce on top. Repeat layering in same order. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan on top. Bake in center of oven 30 to 35 minutes until sauce is bubbling around the edges. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

The main recipe can be found here.

My changes don't effect the way you make the recipe at all. I choose to add in fresh cheeses because it makes it taste a bit better. It does involve a little bit more work but it is delicious.