Lasagna al Forno Recipe
Ingredients:
- 16 pieces (about 1lb) lasagna noodles (not pre-cooked)
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 3 cups spaghetti sauce (or make your own sauce with two large cans of diced tomatoes,fresh
- sliced mushrooms, fresh diced garlic and onion, 1 small can of tomato paste)
- 4 cups of ricotta cheese; you can use fat-free, but if you do, use 1 tbsp of olive oil and two eggs, otherwise it will be too dry.
- 2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese.
- 3 tbsp fresh parsley
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- In a large bowl, combine the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses with the parsley; add seasonings to
- taste - salt, pepper, etc. Remember, if you've used the fat-free ricotta, you will need to add a
- bit of olive oil and two eggs so that it's not too dry.
- In a large frying pan, cook meat until brown, drain fat; add spaghetti sauce.
- Creating the Lasagna Layers: Layer 1
- Spread 1/2 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of the baking dish (I also spray with Pam first).
- Place 4 pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce, overlapping the edges.
- Spread 1/3 ricotta and mozzarella cheeses over pasta.
- Layer 2
- Cover with 1/4 of the remaining sauce.
- Place 4 pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce, overlapping the edges.
- Spread 1/3 ricotta and mozzarella cheeses over pasta.
- Layer 3
- Cover with 1/4 sauce.
- Place 4 pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce, overlapping the edges.
- Spread 1/3 ricotta and mozzarella cheeses over pasta.
- Layer 4
- Cover with 1/4 sauce.
- Place 4 pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce, overlapping the edges.
- Cover with remaining sauce.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil; bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly;
- Remove foil and bake 5 minutes more
- Let stand 5 - 10 minutes before cutting.
This recipe can be made ahead. Do as previously directed, but do not bake; cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate up to 24 hours or freeze up to 2 months; Bake: refrigerated lasagna at 350 degrees about 1 hour; frozen lasagna at 350 about 2 hours or until hot and bubbly.