Lasagna is one of the easiest and most filling meals that I can make that my family and friends also love. A few weeks ago, two of my friends came over to meet my daughter. Because I like to feed my guests, I whipped up a big pan of lasagna!
Making lasagna is so easy. I begin my boiling the lasagna noodles in a big pot of water. Some people like to use the kind of noodles that can be layered in the lasagna dry, but I prefer to boil mine first. I just like the taste better.
While my lasagna noodles are boiling, I cook up a pound of ground beef in a separate pan. Sometimes I also use sausage, but other times I prefer a beefy lasagna. To make my lasagna a little healthier, I use the lowest fat beef available, which is usually 97% lean beef.
After cooking both, I drain the water from the noodles and the fat from the beef. While my noodles and meat are draining, I prepare the cheese for my lasagna. I mix ricotta cheese with parsley. I also make sure that I have some yummy mozzarella cheese ready to go on top of my lasagna.
Next I layer the lasagna. I begin by putting a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Then I put a layer of noodles down followed by a layer of the ricotta cheese. Next comes another layer of noodles followed by another layer of sauce. I then layer on the beef and sprinkled some Italian seasoning on top. Finally, I top the beef with another layer of noodles and another layer of sauce. I finish off the lasagna with a thick layer of shredded mozzarella cheese. I then pop the lasagna in the oven to heat up.
While my lasagna is cooking, I like to make garlic bread. For the meal that I served my friends, I just used some whole wheat bread, a little butter, and some garlic powder. After the lasagna finishes cooking, I pop the bread in the oven for a few minutes to toast. Voila! An easy and complete meal. Bon appetit!
Image Credits
Boiling the Lasagna Noodles © 2012 Heather Johnson
Cooking the Ground Beef © 2012 Heather Johnson
Draining the Lasagna Noodles © 2012 Heather Johnson
Draining the Cooked Ground Beef © 2012 Heather Johnson
Mixing the Ricotta Cheese © 2012 Heather Johnson
Layering the Lasagna 1 © 2012 Heather Johnson
Layering the Lasagna 2 © 2012 Heather Johnson
Lasagna © 2012 Heather Johnson
Garlic Bread © 2012 Heather Johnson