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Nothing says comfort food like a homemade lasagna! Whether it’s a special delivery to a neighbour in need, a craving for a hearty meal on a dreary day, or an adult child home for a visit, lasagna is always the answer! And nothing beats the smell of this traditional Italian casserole baking in the oven either!
Whenever my son is home from Calgary, homemade lasagna made by me or his grandma is usually a request. There are many different ways to make lasagna but our recipe is more of the traditional Italian version with ricotta cheese and I throw in spinach sometimes also.
I start out making a double batch of our own tomato pasta sauce with meat recipe. I usually have a batch or two of this pasta sauce in the freezer but if I don’t, it doesn’t take too long to make the sauce from scratch. If using tomato sauce from the freezer, heat it up before assembling the lasagna.
Lazy Spoon Lasagna
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds extra lean ground beef
- 2 (14-ounce) cans of fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup red wine (you could substitute with 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons oregano, fresh or dried
- 1 teaspoon basil, fresh or dried
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Lasagna noodles (we use gluten-free noodles)
- 2 cups of ricotta cheese (optional)
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 2 cups baby spinach (optional)
Directions
Soften onion and garlic in oil in a cast iron frying pan. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Season the meat with salt and pepper and then add tomatoes, honey, paste, red wine and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Add oregano and basil and simmer for about another 15-30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350oF. Start by layering the bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish with a bit of the meat sauce. Add a layer of lasagna noodles (about 5 or 6) and then spread all of the ricotta cheese over the noodles. Add a layer of meat sauce and then layer with half of the mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of noodles and then cover with the spinach. Top this layer off with the rest of the meat sauce and then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top.
Grease a sheet of tin foil and cover the lasagna. Bake for 50 minutes at 350oF. Remove foil after 50 minutes and bake for another 10 minutes. If you like the top of your lasagna a bit crunchy you can broil for about 3 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
Tools I Used to Make This Recipe
