The Pioneer Woman's Lasagna

I didn't follow my own advice on this one. I know that her recipes feed an army, and yet I still didn't half this one. I think because it calls for the same amount of noodles as my family's recipe, I figured it would make the same amount too.

Um, this is the lasagna before I put it in the oven.
Yah, it kind of makes a lot.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
Salt
Pepper
10 oz Lasagna noodles (8 noodles)
1 lb mozzarella cheese, Shredded (I use fresh mozzarella, slice it and lay it atop when needed)
1 1/2 lb ground beef (I used 1 lb)
1 lb hot ground sausage
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 - 14.5 oz cans whole tomatoes
2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste
12 (or more) basil leaves, chopped (I used more, I really like basil)
1/4 c Italian leaf parsley, chopped
3 c cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 c Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions:

1 Boil the noodles. Once they are done, drain water, and lay the noodles out on tin foil (don't ask why, but it worked and they didn't stick...)

2 Brown the meat in the olive oil. (I browned the beef and then the sausage, I think that is way too much meat for one pan, so I did it separately. After all meat is cooked and is drained of excess fat, put back into the pan, add the tomatoes with their juice. (I cut the tomatoes in the can with kitchen scissors so that the tomatoes aren't whole, but not small chunks). Also add the tomato paste, 1/2 t salt, and freshly ground pepper to the pan. Simmer for 45 minutes - stirring occasionally.

3 Chop the basil and the parsley. Add half of the herbs to the meat mixture after is has simmered for 45 minutes.

4 In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese, eggs, 1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan, and the other half of the herbs.

5 Assemble the lasagna. Lay four noodles on the bottom of your dish. Spoon half of the white sauce on top of the noodles. Sprinkle 1/3 of the grated, or lay freshly sliced, mozzarella on the white sauce, and top with half of the meat mix.


6 Repeat - the other four noodles, the rest of the white sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella, the rest of the meat sauce. Now sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and the rest of the mozzarella.

7 Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. I put a cookie sheet under my casserole dish to catch the dripping.

8 I recommend letting it sit 10-20 minutes before serving. We served it hot, you can see on the plate shot below, it was a a little runny.


The little guy at his all up, so I'd say it was a hit.

Enjoy!