I'm going to do a quick post (to make myself feel better) on how I make my lasagna. I cheat a bit.
So we'll need:
1 16oz tub of cottage cheese
1 16oz tub of ricotta cheese
1 egg
1lb to 2lb hamburger (I try to use 97%)
1 26oz jar of preferred spaghetti sauce in preferred flavor
1 box of no boiling required (oven ready) lasagne noodles
2 to 3 8oz bags of shredded cheese in preferred flavor
Salt and pepper to taste
Hmm, I think that covers everything. We'll see.
Set your oven to 425F.
So, start out by cooking your hamburger. You can broil it or fry it up in a pan. We've always plopped the hamburger right into a pan, pulled it all apart with a spatula, seasoned it (we use Lawry's seasoning salt with some garlic salt) then added a lid to the pan and cooked the meat over medium heat.
While the hamburger is sizzling in the pan, mix your cottage and ricotta cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add your egg, salt and pepper and continue to mix. The egg helps the cheeses stay together as your lasagna is baking...little tip I took from my sister.
Because the noodles do not have to be boiled, it cuts the prep time in half. These no-boil noodles are the best things invented. They're still just as soft and noodle-y because they soak up the moisture from everything else.
Once your hamburger is done, drain it as much as possible. When that's done, add in your spaghetti sauce and cook it over low heat to warm the sauce up to the hamburger. Here is also where you would add any additional seasoning, making sure to get a great marriage of flavors and smells.
While that is getting to a simmer, pick out the baking dish you'll be using. I like using the clear glass because you can see all of the ingredients cooking together, layer by layer.
So by now, I'll have my bowl of cheeses, bowl of meat/spaghetti sauce, and box of noodles out on the counter. I'll have opened my bags of shredded cheeses, ready to be used. I do it this way (dirtying up all these dishes) because I have limited counter space. This way, all of my things are right there together and I can access them each quickly to make my layers.
Start layering the ingredients:
Hamburger
Cottage/ricotta cheeses
Shredded cheeses
Noodles
So obviously I never put too much shredded cheese in the layers because I wanted it all for the top. I'm greedy like that.
Pop that in the oven for anywhere between 30 minutes and 45 minutes, depending.
It should come out looking like this:
We love the crunch of the cheese. It's fabulous.
Serve this with homemade garlic bread and cheese sauce, it's sure to become a family favorite!
-Erin
