Simple Lasagna (Soy, Fish, Nut and Egg-Free)

Most everyone has a recipe for lasagna or should have. It's an easy dish for get-togethers, potlucks, welcoming a new neighbor to town, and/or taking to a friend to encourage them. It was one of the first dishes I learned to make and definitely the one I fall back on when I need something quick and easy for dinner.

This recipe is not unique to me, but I wouldn't say it's exactly my mom's lasagna either. :) It's not as fancy as some, but I think sometimes that simplicity is best. I hope you agree. Enjoy! :)

Please note that this recipe is only soy-free if you use all soy-free ingredients, and it is fish, nut and egg-free.

Simple Lasagna

1 lb. ground chuck or venison

salt (optional)

pepper (optional)

1 jar (23.75 oz. size) of your favorite soy-free spaghetti sauce

(I use Bertolli's Tomato and Basil generally.)

12 to 16 lasagna noodles (depending on the size of your pan)

 

2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 Cups shredded cojack cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 350^oF.

2. Season the meat with salt and pepper, if desired, and brown it in a large skillet until cooked through.

3. Drain meat, return to skillet, add sauce and reduce heat to low.

4. Allow meat and sauce mixture to simmer while you prepare the pasta. Remove from heat once the pasta is ready to go.

5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water (salted or unsalted is your call) on the stove to a boil, add pasta and cook for 10 minutes. (Now I know there is a lot of debate on if lasagna noodles need to be cooked or not, so you can skip this step if you want, but I think cooking the pasta does make the overall lasagna taste better. You don't have to have the noodles totally cooked through, but at least 1/2 done is best, in my opinion.)

6. Strain pasta and run cool water over it until it is cool enough to handle.

7. Place some of the meat sauce (about 1/5 of it) on the bottom of either a 13x9 or 11x8 pan (greasing the pan is not necessary, but you can if you wish).

8. Next, place a layer of pasta noodles (3 to 4 noodles side-by-side; whatever it takes to fill up the pan width-wise), then a layer of sauce, and lastly a layer of both cheeses (about 1/2 Cup of each) in the pan.

9. Continue layering in the same fashion for 4 layers, ending with the rest of the cheese. (Note: If you want to cut back on the amount of cheese or sauce, that's fine. Personal preference should always win here. :) )

10. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until lasagna is bubbly and cheese is browned.

This lasagna can be made ahead and either frozen or refrigerated until time to make it. If making it from frozen, though, please note that the cooking time will increase by at least 1/2 an hour.

(This recipe was originally posted on my original site, Natural and Free.)