Lasagna (Lasagne??)

Here is my basic recipe for Lasagna.  This is similar to a recipe my sister used to make for us when I was a kid, and it became a staple!  (It's all fat, so don't look for any tips on making it healthy here!)

Feeds - 6

Ingredients

1 lb - Ground Beef

2 cups - Shredded Cheddar and Mozzarella Cheese

1 cup - Shredded Parmesan

500 g - Cottage Cheese (drained) (or dry cottage cheese if you can find it)

1 350 ml Can - Tomato Sauce

1 150 ml can - Tomato Paste

1 can - Tomatoes (diced or crushed)

2 tbsp - margarine

1 onion - diced

1 clove of garlic - diced

1 tbsp - Italian Seasoning

1 tsp - Hot Sauce (optional)

1/2 tsp - salt

1/2 tsp - pepper

1 pkg - Lasagna Noodles (I used the ready to use ones as opposed to the ones needing to be cooked)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sauce:

1. Heat margarine in medium saucepan at medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook for 10 minutes until translucent and starting to brown.

2. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).  Add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and hot sauce and mix in until moisture is mostly gone.

3. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste, stir until everything is well mixed.  Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Ground Beef:

4.  While sauce is simmering, brown ground beef in frying pan,  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.  Drain once browned.

5. Add about 1/2 sauce to browned meat, and mix.  

Assembling

6. Spread a thin layer of sauce on bottom of rectangular baking dish.  Place layer of noodles over sauce.  

7. Add half of ground beef and spread.  Add all of cottage cheese and spread

8. Add a thin layer of sauce over cottage cheese, and add another layer of noodles.

9.  Spread remaining ground beef over noodles, and a thick layer of the mozzarella and cheddar cheese mix (saving some for the top of lasagna)

10.  Spread a thin layer of sauce over cheeses and add another layer of noodles.

11. Add another thin layer of sauce over noodles and cover with remainder of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses and Parmesean cheese.

Baking

12.  Cover (without touching cheese) with either a baking sheet or tinfoil, and bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more, or until top cheese is nice and brown.

13.  Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Let me know how you liked this recipe in the comments!