You Know Who Else Loves Lasagna? Garfield...

If you are like me, then sometimes you have a hankerin' to cook and you have NO. IDEA. WHAT. TO. MAKE. Tonight, this happened. I had a suggestion on my facebook page to make lasagna, thanks to Ms. Ingram, and was sold. My dad was coming over for dinner, and I knew he could definitely get down with it. I've made lasagna before, but had no idea what recipe I used. With something so classic and traditional as lasagna, I'm OK with trying out a few different recipes until I find one that I want to stick with. I have a friend who swears by the recipe that is on the lasagna noodle box from Trader Joe's. I have to say, the one that I used tonight was pretttty darnnn tastyy. I don't know what is it about that Tyler Florence from The Food Network, but I keep finding that a lot of recipes I've used recently are his. This recipe is just classic, and you really can't go wrong. If you are cooking shy, once again, this recipe is really straight forward. It takes a little less time if you have two people in the kitchen, so grab a friend or sibling and make them help you!

Click here for the original recipe. I often omit an ingredient or two if I find that it doesn't add anything to the dish that I'm going for. In this case, I didn't add the tomato paste (which is in original recipe) to the meat mixture.

Because lasagna is all inclusive (meat, carbohydrates, protein), I didn't feel the need to have any sides with dinner tonight. I suppose garlic bread and a light salad could have been prime time, but tonight I was feelin' just lasagna. It is so filling, and if I had eaten more than just the pasta, I would have exploded.

Ingredients:
1 pound dried lasagna noodles (I buy the ones that you don't have to soak beforehand)
Olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoonds fresh oregano, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 pound ground beef
1 pound Italian sausage (I bought mine ground, from a butcher)

30 ounces ricotta cheese (2 containers)
1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 cups tomato sauce, prepared (if you are feeling truly ambitious, you can make your own)
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a large skillet with olive oil. Saute over medium heat, and add the onion, garlic, and first set of herbs
2. Add the beef and sausage and cook until brown, or no longer pink, about 15 minutes. I did the onion mixture and the meat mixture separately, and then combined them after I drained the fat

3. Drain fat into a small container and discard
4. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parsley, and oregano. Stir in beaten eggs. Add Parmesan, season with salt and pepper

5. To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch pan with a ladle full of tomato sauce
6. Arrange a few noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce
7. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the pasta
8. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the meat, spread to the edges with a spatula
9. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta

10. Top with a ladle full of tomato sauce, spread evenly
11. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, meat, cheeses, and sauce
12. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, and shredded mozzarella and Parmesan

13. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, or until the top is crispy and golden brown
14. Wait 15 minutes, so that the noodles will settle and cut easily

15. Serve and ENJOY!

The Padre approves. First outside dinner of Spring 2012!

"It was delicious."
-James Fargo upon tasting