For Mother’s Day, Elisabeth spent much of Saturday preparing meals for the weekend and the work week ahead. Although a variety of experiments went on in the kitchen, the food came out spectacular – from the pancake bread to the family-sized lasagna! Given the challenges presented by COVID-19 and only monthly grocery store trips, all our meals are prepared with what we have (showcasing many cool and unusual substitutions)! We hope all of you had a Happy Mother’s Day and are staying safe and healthy during these unprecedented times! Stay tuned for a great homestyle easy-to-make lasagna (and many more recipes in the days to come) making use of what we have in our pantry and refrigerator!

Family-Style Lasagna

A classic dish that is perfect comfort food for a rainy day or a celebratory meal! The flavors in this dish are delicious and are great when coupled with a fresh side salad (lettuce from our garden) and homemade french bread. 

Ingredients:

1 Box of Lasagna Noodles (No Boil)

1 Container of Ricotta Cheese (15 Ounce)

1 Pd of Ground Beef/ Sausage (We used Ground Pesto Sausage from our Freezer)

1 Package of Italian Blend Cheese (Mozzarella is Another Option)

1/4 of a Cup of Parmesan Cheese

2 Cans of Spaghetti Sauce

1/2 of a White Onion

1 Can of Mushrooms

1/2 Cup of Green Peppers (We only had a Small Bag in the Freezer from Last Year)

2 Cloves of Garlic

Spices (Red Pepper Flakes, Italian Seasoning)

Fresh Herbs (We used Parsley and Basil)

Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (To Garnish)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. In a bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, 1/2 package of Italian cheese, some parmesan cheese, and herbs.

3. Saute the garlic and onions in a frying pan until browned. Add the fresh basil, fresh parsley, and ground sausage and saute until cooked. Drain the mushrooms and add them to the meat. Finally, add the final can of spaghetti sauce to the mixture. Once cooked, set aside for later.

4. In a 13 x 9 x 3 baking dish, spread one can of sauce on the bottom of the pan.

5. Layer uncooked noodles to fill the space above the sauce.

6. Next, add the cooked meat mixture to the top of the previous layer of noodles and spread.

7. Layer in order, uncooked lasagna noodles, the ricotta cheese mixture, and another layer of noodles.

8. Add 1/4 of the remaining cheese to the top of the lasagna

9. Bake covered with foil for ~ 1hr in a pre-heated oven.

10. After an hour, uncover the lasagna and place the remainder of the cheese (feel free to add more) on the top. Continue cooking the lasagna until all the cheese is melted or for ~ 10 minutes.

11. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving and ENJOY!