Lasagna
(original recipe from Jan McKinney, modified by Shaliese)
1 8 oz. pkg. Lasagna noodles (9 noodles)
1 lb. ground beef
5 cut strips of bacon
2 medium onions, diced
4 large celery stalks, diced
4 carrots, diced
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/2 C. diced tomatoes (or 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained)
24 oz. cottage cheese
1 heaping tsp. dried parsley
1 lb. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1. Brown bacon. Add beef and brown lightly, then poor off grease.
2. Add onions, carrots, celery, salt, garlic powder, tomato sauce, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Drain off excess liquid, but not too much that the mixture is dry.
3. While meat mixture is simmering, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Also, stir dried parsley into the cottage cheese.
4. Preheat oven to 350 while assembling the lasagna. To assemble the lasagna in a 9x13 pan, alternate the following layers three times: layer of 3 lasagna noodles, cover lightly with meat mixture, spoon cottage cheese in small piles, then cover with grated monterey jack cheese. Repeat for a total of three layers.
5. If you cook the lasagna immediately, bake uncovered for 35 minutes. You may also prepare the lasagna the night before and refrigerate before baking. If so, bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
Comments:
This is my favorite childhood lasagna, with some modifications. The ingredients are all the same, I just adjusted the amounts because I prefer more substantial filling in my lasagna. Basically I doubled all of the vegetables and increased the cottage cheese. The increased vegetables does create a little extra liquid in the meat/veggie mixture, which is why I suggest to drain off any extra, otherwise the lasagna will be a little extra messy.
This is also the first meal that I made for Mike (my husband) and that was the night that he brought up the idea of getting married, so I figure that's what made up his mind that he could to stand to spend the rest of forever with me!
