3 Cheese Lasagna

Tools Needed:

• 9″x 13″ lasagna pan (or casserole dish)
• large skillet
• large pot to cook noodles

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs lean or extra lean ground beef
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, diced
• 1 large green pepper, diced
• 1 med onion, diced
• 1/2 cup celery diced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1/2 can of Italian seasoned tomatoes, pureed *
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• chopped fresh basil, to taste (I use about 1 tsp)
• 5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (divided – 2 cup & 3 cup)
• 1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cup cottage cheese (2%) or ricotta
• 9 lasagna noodles *
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 tsp of oil for cooking noodles (I like olive oil for this)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, add the ground beef, mushrooms, green pepper, celery and onion and garlic powder. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender.
2. Drain the liquid off the meat.
3. Stir in the tomato sauce, pureed tomatoes tomato paste and fresh basil. Simmer and stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn on the bottom.
4. While the sauce is simmering, put your lasagna noodles on to cook, following package instructions. I use a large, deep pot, but if you don’t have one, you could use a small roaster with enough water to cover the noodles and put on the stove top, just make sure you keep moving the noodles around while cooking so they don’t stick to the bottom. Add a teaspoon of oil to your water to keep the noodles from sticking.
5. In the meantime, prepare your cheese mixture. In a large bowl, add 2 cups of the shredded mozzarella, all the grated parmesan and all the cottage cheese. Mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
6. When the noodles are cooked, drain the water and rinse immediately with cool water. You will want to start assembling the lasagna right away so the noodles don’t get sticky or hard.
7. Spray your lasagna pan with the non-stick cooking spray and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F .
8. Add a sparse layer of the prepared meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. (See photo below.)
9. Top the meat sauce with 3 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping if necessary.
10. Add a layer of the meat sauce on top of the noodles.
11. Divide your 3 cheese mixture in half as you will be making two layers. Using the first half, drop dabs of the mixture around on top of the meat sauce. Try to spread out as evenly as possible. It won’t cover completely. (See photo below.).
12. Take 3 more lasagna noodles and cover the cheese layer.
13. Add another layer of sauce and top it with another layer of cheese and the final layer of 3 noodles.
14. If there is enough sauce left to do a light layer, spread that on top of the noodles, but it’s not necessary if you have used all the sauce.
15. Now you will take your remaining 3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese and sprinkle it evenly over the top of the lasagna.
16. Cover loosely with foil so that it’s not touching the cheese and put in the oven for 30 minutes.
17. Remove the foil and put back in oven for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and turning golden in spots.
18. Let sit for at least 15 minutes before cutting.

Tips:

• If you can’t find Italian canned tomatoes, use regular unseasoned ones and add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
• Make Macaroni Lasagna by layering cooked macaroni noodles instead of the lasagna noodles.
• Serve with a green salad, like garden salad or caesar salad and crusty bread or dinner rolls.

Scroll through photos below!