My Famous Lasagna!

I have made this dish for many of my friends, and family. It's a dish that feeds a lot, and it makes your soul happy. If you want a crowd pleaser, this is the dish. Now, this is one of my favorite dishes to make, but it takes me most of the day to make. So, how did I do homeschool and make this dish in the same day? I turned it into a lesson.

Cooking is a very important skill to have. I had the kids watch each step, and allowed them to ask all kinds of questions. When we were finished, I had them write a paragraph on what they learned. Making them work together, gave me good insight on weather they were paying attention. They all remembered different points and were able to write a decent paragraph. It made this momma proud to know that some things sunk in, and they were able to write it down. They are little, so I did have to help with spelling. We later sat down and reviewed paragraph structure and other grammatical elements. It made me proud of what they were able to come up with on their own. Which also showed me that they are understanding what we are learning in school, giving me the pick me up I needed.

When making a lasagna you need to decide if you want to make fresh homemade noodles, or box. I have used both, and both ways are delicious. I have enjoyed making my own pasta lately so, I went with that option this time. I made a basic egg noodle, and sent the dough through the noodle machine, making the perfect lasagna noodle. It's the same dough recipe from my earlier post about ravioli's. I made the noodles first to give them drying time.

I like to prep all of my veggies all at once, so that when it comes time to cook, I can add them when needed. It takes a lot of stress off of me, and makes cooking more enjoyable. For me, cooking can be relaxing.

I chop up 2 onions, 2 bell peppers (1 red and 1 orange), 2 cups worth of mushrooms, and 7 cloves of garlic. I get out a 45 oz. jar of Prego traditional sauce, a 45 oz jar of Ragu traditional sauce, and 1 16 oz can of pumpkin purée.

I sauté the onions, and bell peppers in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Adding the mushrooms I allow them to cook down until they are soft and then add the garlic. I remove the veggies and add 1 pound of ground beef and 1 pound of Italian sausage to the pan. I add salt and pepper to the ground beef to bring out its flavor. I use my mix and chop from Pampered Chef to chop the meat into small chunks. When the meat is completely cooked I add the veggies back into the pot. This time, since it is Fall, I also added pumpkin puré and let the flavors infuse together for 5 minutes on low. Then, I added the two different sauces to my meat and veggies. You can use the sauce that your family loves instead, weather it be homemade, or just a different brand from what I used. Adding all the veggies helps give the sauce freshness and depth of flavor. I really enjoy adding the pumpkin puré, because it adds a richness you don't normally get.

I like to let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes, then allow it to cool slightly before assembling my lasagna. What I like to do, is clean up my kitchen while it simmers for 30 minutes. I remove the sauce from the heat and set aside. While the sauce cools, I mix together my ricotta cheese mixture, and grate the mozzarella cheese. For the ricotta mixture, I add 1 cup of parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of asiago cheese, to a 30 oz container of ricotta cheese. I like to add a dash of salt, and 1 tsp of parsley. I also like to use the block mozzarella cheese. I grate about 4 cups worth. Once the cheese prep is done it is time to assemble.

I like to use my 12x12 glass casserole dish, that is is about 6 inches deep, because it has a lid. You can use a casserole dish and cover with foil if that is all you have. I just like to be able to have lots of layers, and the deeper dish allows me to do that. You can also use the disposable casserole pans, they are great for clean up, and for freezing.

I spray my dish down with spray oil before I begin to add the layers. For my first layer, I scoop out the yummy pasta sauce we made. I make sure the bottom is evenly covered, maybe 1/2 inch thick. Then place the noodles down for the second layer. The third layer is the cheese mixture. The thickness of the layer is up to you. I usually split the cheese mixture in two, and use one half of the mixture for one layer. I also like to sprinkle some of the mozzarella cheese in with that layer to add extra cheesiness. Do another noodle layer on top of the cheese and then the sauce on top of the noodles. I repeat those steps until I have almost reached the top of the pan. You want the top layer to be the sauce with enough room to add a layer of mozzarella cheese. Once you add the cheese you can sprinkle a little parsley on top, to add some color. I like to think of my food as art. One thing I will say is make sure you are tasting each layer of your food to make sure the flavors are there. Tasting as you go is very important.

When it comes to cooking I usually cook it for 30 minutes at 400 degrees with the lid on, and another 15-20 minutes with the lid off. Today I cooked it for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, and didn't finish the cooking until we got to my grandparents. There we cooked it for the remaining time without the lid. One more important step when making lasagna, is allowing it to rest for about 10 minutes before you cut into it and serve. Doing this allows it to firm up and come out in a beautiful stack of layers. Now, I'm not always a patient person, so I have just dived on in. The is nothing wrong with that, because it will still be delicious, just not as beautiful on the plate.

I really hope you enjoy this meal as much as I do. When you bite into it, you will be able to taste the love it took to make it. Be blessed my friends and enjoy.