Hoosier Home Cookin'

Lasagna has to be one of my all time favorite comfort foods. You just can't get any better than layers of cheese, rich sauce and perfectly cooked pasta. This week, I'm sharing my personal recipe, perfected through the years. I was always taught by my mom to make my sauce from scratch, but I've found a short-cut that I think has stellar results. I'm also going to share my favorite brand names on the things that really matter. I've been told by a very special cook in Delphi (Concetta Hamilton) that you should be careful not to over salt your lasagna. Cheese has a high sodium content, therefore, go light on the shaker in your sauce! Oh, and there seems to always be some controversy with regard to cottage cheese or ricotta. I definitely favor the latter. I'll warn you: be prepared to serve an army or at least have some freezer space. This recipe will make three generous 9x13 pans. It takes a little time, but it's well worth the effort.

Next week, I'll share a couple more of my favorites. Happy eating!

Allison's Almost Made from Scratch Lasagna

Sauce
2 lbs. ground chuck
1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 very large onion, chopped
1 T. minced garlic (the kind in a jar,
not dried)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. olive oil
1 T. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 large can tomato paste
1 jar Kroger four-cheese spaghetti
sauce (can)
2 jars Kroger tomato basil
spaghetti sauce (jar)
1 jar water

In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil and brown meat, onions and garlic until meat is no longer pink. Drain completely (I even use paper towels to remove all the grease). Add seasonings and tomato paste and heat through. Add spaghetti sauce, one can/jar at a time, followed by one-third jar of water. Make sure the sauce is heated before adding the next sauce/water combination. Cover pot and simmer, stirring often, for an hour. In the meantime, make the filling.
Filling
2 16-oz. containers of Ricotta
cheese
3 extra large eggs
2 T. freshly chopped parsley (or 1 T.
dried)
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 8-oz. container of mixed shredded
cheese (Parmesan, Romano)

Beat eggs. Set aside. In a large bowl, add Ricotta. Add eggs and remaining ingredients, whisking until smooth. Set aside.
Assembly
Sauce
Filling
1 lb. sliced mozzarella cheese
1 lb. sliced provolone cheese
2 1-lb. pkgs. No-cook lasagna (I
use Barilla - it doesn't have curly
edges)
Additional grated Parmesan
(please, don't use the shaker kind!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease three 9x13 baking pans. Ladle in a small amount of sauce in each pan, followed by a layer of lasagna noodles (carefully cut the noodles with scissors if necessary to fit pan). Carefully spread on one-sixth of the filling, then add a layer of provolone cheese. Add another layer of sauce, another layer of noodles, another layer of filling, then a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon remaining sauce over cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil and sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake uncovered for another five minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let set for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Notes: The recipe can be refrigerated

or frozen prior to baking if

desired. If refrigerated, add about

10 minutes to the baking time. If

frozen, thaw before baking and follow

refrigerated baking times. Also,

because of my current low-carb dieting

effort, I substituted layers of

mandolin-sliced zucchini for the

pasta. It was awesome!