Classic Lasagna

There is nothing like a good classic lasagna for supper, so today I am sharing my number one lasagna recipe with you! Now don’t be scared away by the “made with 5 cheeses” bit…. Any “one” type of cheese will work! I just love, love, love cheese and always have at least 10 different kinds in my fridge — and no, I’m not kidding!

All you need is:

• 1 package of Ground Beef
• 1 chopped, medium-sized onion
• 1 cup of chopped mushrooms
• 1 tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce
• 4 dashes of Hot Sauce
• 1 can of diced Tomatoes
• 1 can of your favorite type of Tomato Sauce
• 1 tub of Cottage Cheese
• 1 tub of Ricotta Cheese (Optional)
• 2 Cups of shredded cheese (Mozzarella and/or Cheddar)
• 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
• 1/2 tsp of crushed Garlic
• 1/4 tsp of Oregano
• 1/4 tsp of Thyme
• 1 pinch each, of Salt & Pepper
• 1 box of Oven Ready Lasagna Noodles

Step One: In a large skillet or frying pan, add ground beef, mushrooms, onions, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high for about seven to ten minutes, or until fully cooked and then drain.

Step Two: Add diced tomatoes, hot sauce, tomato sauce, crushed garlic and the oregano and thyme to the ground beef mixture. Simmer on medium heat for about ten minutes. (Don’t worry about draining the diced tomatoes, the extra juice will help the noodles cook!)

Step Three: Layer the bottom of your casserole dish with a single layer or noodles. I typically use a 8″ x 11″ casserole dish, but if you wanted to make two smaller square sized lasagna’s, that works too! (This is great for smaller sized families, because you can eat one lasagna and freeze the other one for another night!)

Step Four: Cover the single layer of noodles with about half of the ground beef-sauce mixture. Make sure that the noodles are fully covered, and then lay down another single layer of noodles.

Step Five: Spread the whole tub of cottage cheese over the second layer of noodles, and then cover the layer of cottage cheese with a layer of ricotta cheese…. Mmm!

Step Six: Place another layer of noodles down over the cottage cheese/ricotta cheese layer, and then cover the noodles with the remainder or the ground beef-sauce mixture.

Step Seven: Sprinkle the two cups of shredded cheese on top of everything, and then sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese.

Step Eight: Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 350 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking for a crispier top.

Step Nine: Let stand for five minutes, serve, and enjoy! 🙂