Lasagna

This is an easy recipe that results in professional level yumminess. (That IS a word. Yumminess.)

You Will Need:

• instant pot or large stove top pan
• 9×15 or similar sized baking pan
• probably fresh baked Italian bread with real butter and/or salad as sides
• 1-2 tbs of oil or butter
• 1 lb ground beef (choose grass-fed/organic meats and ingredients if that’s your preference)
• 1 lb ground Italian sweet sausage *or an additional pound of ground meat in any single or combination of pork, veal or beef
• several cloves of fresh garlic -the more the merrier in our house, or season up well with garlic powder if you’re out of fresh
• season to taste, this means add as much or as little of each as desired, I don’t use a lot of salt especially in recipes that have sauces, broths or cheeses already, which this one does. I used dried Italian seasoning, black pepper, granulated garlic powder in this, a couple tsps each. FRESH basil goes a long way to the yumminess factor. Throw a few leaves in the pot if you have them. You can even get concentrated Italian seasonings like basil/ parsley combined together in a tube. Look in the refrigerator section of your grocery store by the bunches of basil and parsley. I like to keep one in the fridge just in case.
• 1/2C sweet red cooking wine, I use the cheap Winking Owl brand from Aldi to cook with, if you don’t have it, no worries-it’s optional
• 2 cans (32 oz each) crushed tomatoes
• Mozzarella cheese, buy it how you like it. I use 1 pound (we like cheese) and shred about 2 Cups of it 🧀
• about 2/3C shredded parmesan
• 1 32 oz tub or whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• lasagna noodles, If you buy the boxed noodles (16 oz), I recommend cooking the noodles first. If you follow the directions on the box for no-boil noodles it will be fine, too, I just prefer the texture of the noodles boiled first. Homemade noodles are out of this world, but another blog post altogether. However, I love the pre-made sheets of lasagna noodles sold in refrigerated section by the ricotta cheese in our Publix.
• IF you want to add in cooked spinach (well drained) or chunks of any par-boiled or quick sautéed’ veggie, add them after the sauce layer.

DIRECTIONS

BIG TIP HERE: Make your sauce the day before and let all those flavors meld together. Oh, yeah!

Have an instant pot? Perfect! If not just follow the same directions and simmer on the stove for a couple of hours.

• heat the instant pot to sauté’
• add 1 tbs of oil
• add garlic (you can mince it, chop it or leave it whole; I chop ours), stir it quickly into hot oil for a minute before adding meat
• crumble up ground meat, season it up and cook it-stirring it every couple of minutes- until mostly browned through
• add crushed tomatoes and wine
• Close lid, seal the IP and set to 15 mins. You can either release the steam or let it naturally release if you’re in no hurry
• IF COOKING THE NEXT DAY: put meat sauce in refrigerator covered, but I do reheat it before putting together my lasagna
• Mix together shredded Mozzarella, parmasean, ricotta cheeses and egg (if your egg is small, use two): I add more seasonings to this mix.
• starting with sauce on the bottom of the pan, layer sauce, noodles and cheese mixture ending with sauce and topping with remaining mozzarella cheese (sliced or shredded)
• Cover pan with foil (I spray it with coconut oil so the cheese doesn’t stick) and bake at 350° for 45 mins, uncover and back another 10-15 to cheese is brown and bubbly
• Let set for 15 minutes before cutting and serving, if you can help it
• ENJOY!