It's been quite a while since I've shared a recipe with you and trust me, this is one you'll definitely want to know. J and I both love anything Italian when it comes to food so this is definitely up our alley. I present to you...
Grandma Shangraw's Lasagna
(and grandma Shangraw isn't even my relative!)
The List of Players:
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz grated romano cheese
Large bag of mozzarella
3 eggs
No-boil lasagna noodles
1 lb ground beef (not pictured)
1 lb italian sausage (not pictured)
Small can tomato paste
Small can tomato sauce
Large can Tomato Puree
Lawry's spaghetti sauce mix
1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t oregano
Several shakes parsley
1. Brown ground beef and italian sausage together in large pan until no longer pink. Drain.
2. Mix together tomato sauce, puree and paste with Lawry's spaghetti sauce mix in large bowl. Set aside
3. Beat eggs and add all seasonings in medium bowl.
4. Add cream cheese to egg mixture. (I find it easier to slightly mash up the cream cheese block and then put it in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds to make it easier to mix) Stir in ricotta cheese followed by romano.
5. Coat bottom of 9 x 11 in baking dish with a layer of sauce. (After this point you can leave the meat separate from the sauce or if you want you can mix them together. I don't have a big enough bowl for this so I leave them separate.)
6. Layer noodles on top of sauce. (I always squeeze in 4 noodles on the bottom layer only and then use 3 for each of the other layers)
7. Place cheese mixture over noodles.
8. Place meat over cheese. Layer one is complete. (Just as a heads up for portioning, I typically get three layers in my pan)
9. Continue in the same process as before making your layers. Sauce, noodles, cheese, meat. You want to END with the sauce layer though so beware.
10. Admire your gooey layers!
11. Cover entire top with mozzarella cheese. (I never end up using the whole bag but you want to make sure it's al covered)
12. Prepare some garlic bread or salad to go with it and pop the pan in a 350 degree oven for 45 min to 1 hour
Now just a word to the wise, once your lasagna is put together and all ready to go in the oven it can be stored in the fridge for a few hours if you feel like putting it together in the morning OR it can be frozen and used on a completely different day. Theoretically if you had two baking dishes you could even double the recipe, make one for dinner that night and then save the other for the following week. I've never had the patience to wait to cook ours though, it always looks and smells too good :-)
Remove from the oven once top is golden brown. (Ours got cooked a little too much last night so you'll want yours a little lighter than the picture above but I personally liked the crunchy top this time. Your preference) Pair with some of your gooey garlic bread and a glass of red wine and wait for the compliments to come in! J always raves about this meal and the best part is there's usually lots of leftovers!
Bon Appetit!
