I like lasagne but making a good one at home is a multi-hour thing so I don't make them often. When I do I might as well make two and freeze one, right? This recipe evolved from the back of a noodle box over the years.
This recipe makes two 13X9" deep lasagnes. I use disposable foil pans for mine.
Cheese filling:
3 32oz containers of ricotta cheese
1 8oz pkg shredded mozzarella and provolone cheese
1 8oz jar grated parmesan and romano cheese
8 eggs
1/4 cup Italian seasoning
Meat sauce:
5 pounds ground meat (beef, pork, or a combination, chicken or turkey if
you want!)
3 24oz jars tomato sauce (I like Bertolli, family members prefer Prego,
whatever)
1 24oz jar tomato sauce (for bottoms and tops)
2 8oz pkgs shredded mozzarella and provolone cheese (topping)
30 cooked lasagne noodles (usually more than one box but not all of two)
Cook noodles 'al dente' and rinse in cold water. Leave them in water while you work.
Brown ground meat. Drain and add three jars of sauce. Adjust the sauce to your taste. (Can you tell I don't use a recipe for my sauce? I generally adjust seasoning, add sugar/baking soda if it's overly tangy, add tomato paste if it's too thin/not tomato-y enough.... You get the idea :)
Combine all ingredients for the cheese filling and mix well.
I construct both lasagnes at once, side by side, so do these steps to both pans.
1. Spread 1/4th of the unadulterated jar of sauce in the bottom of the pan.
2. Top with three noodles. Strip the water off them with your fingers before placing them.
3. Cover noodles with 1/8th of cheese mixture. Patting it out with wet fingers is a lot easier than trying to spread it with a spoon!
4. Cover cheese with 1/8th of meat sauce. This is easier to spread with the back of spoon (and when I make it the sauce is usually a bit hot still :)
5. Repeat steps 2-4 three more times.
6. Top with 3 noodles. Press down on the noodles to get rid of air pockets and level things out.
7. Top with 1/4th of the unadulterated jar of sauce and 8oz of shredded cheese.
Cover the pans with foil, if you're baking now tent the foil, if you're freezing the lasagne cover it tightly.
Bake thawed lasagne at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 30 minutes.
Cool 15 minutes before serving.