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Lasagna resting and ready for eating.
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Simple Lasagna

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs ground beef
  • 2 jars of your favourite pasta sauce OR 4 cups of homemade tomato sauce
  • 1 cup fresh mushrooms sliced (or more if you love mushrooms)
  • 1/2 cup onion diced
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp basil
  • 1 container ricotta cheese 500gr
  • 2 cups or more mozzarella shredded
  • 1 cup provolone shredded or slices
  • 1/2 cup parmesan shredded
  • 1 package oven ready lasagna noodles
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 head garlic
  • 1-2 cups fresh spinach washed & chiffanade (chopped)
  • Hot pepper flakes
  • Olive Oil
  • Pam

Instructions

  • Use either a 9x11 baking dish or 9x13. Spray with pam.
  • Preheat your oven to 350F. Slice the top off your garlic and place in either a garlic baker or on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt. Wrap foil around garlic to seal or place lid on garlic baker and put in oven for approximately 45-50 minutes or until garlic soft.
  • In a sauce pan over medium high heat add your oil. Drop in your mushrooms and saute until nicely browned.
  • In a heavy pot add another glug of oil (1 tbsp) and add your diced onions. Once the onions have cooked for a couple minutes add your burger. Cook until burger is browned (fat released from burger will also cook away). Always cook your burger until browned as the browning adds incredible flavour to the meat. Add your sauce, oregano, basil, roasted garlic and season with salt & pepper. Mix well. If your mushrooms are ready toss them in too. If you like hot pepper flakes now is the time to add them (1/2 tsp to start). Let the sauce simmer at least 30 minutes to combine flavours.
  • In a bowl add all of your ricotta cheese. Mix in your fresh spinach, 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella and a dash of salt & pepper. If you do not like spinach substitute parsley.
  • You are now ready to assemble the lasagna. I start with a ladle of meat sauce on the bottom of your baking dish. Spread it around. Then add a layer of your ready to bake lasagna noodles. Another layer of meat sauce on top of the noodles…you want them to be covered so don’t be stingy here. Then noodles. At this point (I call it mid point) you are ready for your ricotta mixture. Spread it all over the noodles evenly so you have a nice layer of ricotta cheese. And then another layer of noodles. Spread more meat sauce on the noodles. More noodles go down and finally your last layer of meat sauce. If you have leftover meat sauce don’t worry as it can be frozen and used in a pasta dish layer. On top of the last layer of meat sauce spread out your mozzarella. We tend to use alot…even cheddar at this point. Add your provolone and parmesan.
  • Tent with aluminum foil (allowing air for lasagna to breathe) and bake about 45 minutes. Then take the foil off and continue to bake until cheese is brown and bubbling. Remove from oven and let sit on counter 15-20 minutes to settle. Serve and enjoy.