Lasagna

A while back, a friend of mine shared her Mother's secret to using dry lasagna noodles without pre-cooking them. It takes some time, and some pre-planning, but I haven't made lasagna any other way since.

Ingredients List:

For white sauce:

16 oz container Cottage Cheese

15 oz container Ricotta Cheese

13.5 oz can Chopped Spinach

1 Egg

For red sauce:

32 oz jar of your favorite marinara (I used my home-canned stuff, which already has diced tomatoes, onions, and olives in it, you can add all these things if you want).

1 pound Ground Meat (hamburger or sausage)

For building:

Cheese (I usually use most of a 4 cup bag)

Lasagna Noodles

1. Make the white sauce...

   1. Combine cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and egg in a large bowl.

   2. Squeeze spinach in a clean kitchen towel till no more liquid drains out.

   3. Add Spinach to the cheese and egg mixture.

   4. Stir to combine.

2. Make red sauce...

   1. Brown the hamburger (drain fat if needed)

   2. Combine with marinara sauce

   3. Add additional diced tomatoes, onions and olives as desired.

3. In a 9x13 baking dish, put a thin layer of red sauce down. (This is the only time your layers will be out of order, but it's so the noodles won't stick)

4. Build your lasagna as follows:

   1. Red sauce (from step 3)

   2. Dry noodles

   3. Red sauce

   4. Shredded Cheese

   5. White Sauce

   6. Dry noodles

   7. Red Sauce

   8. Shredded Cheese

   9. White Sauce

   10. Dry Noodles

   11. Red Sauce

   12. Extra Shredded Cheese

5. Cover the entire thing with foil, and let sit for 60 minutes.

6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 60 minutes. Uncover for last 15 minutes of cooking, so the cheese browns slightly.

7. Remove from oven and list sit another 60 minutes

8. Serve with side salad, and garlic knots (or whatever).