Holistic Health Mama

Growing up I despised lasagna and stuffed shells. Whenever it was served at family gatherings I would turn my nose up and move on to the next serving tray. I think it had to do with eating a previously frozen version once-that was not quite right-to this day I still can’t stomach previously frozen ricotta it has to be fresh (one day I want to make my own)!

Once I married my husband who has Italian heritage and grew up eating things like what they wholeheartedly just call “sauce,” which was tomato sauce simmered with meat and veggies for over 24 hours served with pasta or with manicotti, shells, and lasagna I knew I had to give it another try.

Though this does take time to cook in the oven, I’ve found prep to be pretty easy compared to some other versions found out on the web. This fed our family for multiple meals so if your looking for a recipe that heats back up well for lunches, this is a keeper! You can also modify to your taste and add veggies or use different types of meat! I have actually made it with sheets of thinly sliced zucchini before rather than noodles too. Use your imagination and the options are endless.

Ingredients

1 Box Lasagna Noodles

3 Cans Tomato Sauce

1 lb. Sweet Italian Sausage

1 lb. Ground Beef

3 Minced Garlic Cloves (or as much as you like-more the merrier in my opinion)

1 Container Ricotta (15 ounces)

1 Large Egg

1 Log of Mozzarella (pre-sliced makes this easy)

1 bag of Romano, parmesan, pecorino (can be a mix or your favorite)

Italian Seasoning to Taste

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

Put a pot with 3L of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil. Add your sheet noodles and cook till al dente.

Brown sausage and ground beef, drain off fat and add 2 1/2 cans of tomato sauce. Salt and pepper to taste, add minced garlic, and Italian seasonings to taste.

Mix the ricotta, the egg, and half the bag of cheese well then add Italian seasonings.

Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pour a small amount of the remaining tomato sauce at the base of your baking dish. Start layering your lasagna noodles.

On the top of the noodles first layer add the ricotta mixture, then the meat sauce. Continue this step until you run out of room, noodles, or either sauce or ricotta which ever comes first!

On the top layer, do the same as the other layers, but on top of the sauce cover the lasagna with the slices of mozzarella.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and cover.

Bake covered at 350 for 45 minutes, remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes to help brown the cheese a bit.

Let cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!