The Best Lasagna Ever

Greetings on this blustery, rainy, yucky Monday. In the last 15 minutes, I have watched my brand new flower pot blow over not once, but twice from it's perch in the middle of our outdoor dining table. T & I have pretty much had it with the wind, and I'm not sure what we will do if it stays this way for the entire summer. Between ruining my flowers, blowing our grill all over our deck, and continuously knocking over our outdoor chairs, it seems that we have hardly been able to enjoy being outside this first spring at our new casa.

What we can enjoy, however, is this delicious lasagna recipe from The Pioneer Woman. T's mom made this dish a couple times over the winter when we've been over for dinner, and I was so excited that she shared the recipe source. It is super easy to mix up, makes enough to freeze half (if you are only cooking for 2), and definitely packs in the flavor compared to many lasagna recipes out there. I would venture to say this is restaurant quality lasagna here people...no joke.

Step One: Gather the ingredients.

Step Two: Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add ground beef, sausage, and garlic, cook until browned. Drain some of the fat, then add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 Tbsp parsley, basil and salt. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Step Three: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tsp salt, and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Cook lasagna until al dente. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 more Tbsp parsley, and 1 tsp salt. Stir together and set aside.

Step Four: Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in a 9x13 baking dish. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles and spread evenly. Cover the cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top. Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan. 

Step Five: Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 min, or until the top is hot and bubbly.

Recipe slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman

THE BEST LASAGNA EVER | Yield: 1 9x13 baking dish | Total Time: 1 hr.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground beef
1 lb hot breakfast sausage
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes
2 cans (6 oz) tomato paste
2 Tbsp dried parsley
2 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp kosher salt
3 C lowfat cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 C grated (not shredded) Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp kosher salt
1 lb sliced mozzarella cheese
1 pkg (10 oz) lasagna noodles
(add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp olive oil to pasta water)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook ground beef, sausage, and garlic until browned. Drain the excess fat (leave some), and add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 Tbsp parsley, basil and salt. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Cook lasagna noodles until 'al dente' (see package instructions).

While noodles are boiling, combine cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 more Tbsp parsley, and 1 more tsp salt. Stir together and set aside.

To assemble:
Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish (use a smaller dish size and adjust if you are splitting the recipe to freeze half). Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top. Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan.

Refrigerate for up to 2 days, or bake immediately in a 350 degree oven for about 25-35 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

Serve with a side of kale salad and garlic bread.

In other weekend catch-ups, I hope all of you mama's out there had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend! T & I snuck in a little afternoon hiking, caught up with both of our mom's, and enjoyed a great dinner out to celebrate the day.

Mama J and I.

T and Mama S.

We love you!