Easily Make Lasagna With Oven Noodles

There are very few things more comforting that homemade lasagna. Sometimes, though, you just don't feel like going through the hassle of making your own noodles AND the lasagna. Here is how to make heavenly lasagna with pre-boiled noodles. It will save you time and bring a smile to anyone's face who eats it.

Ingredients

Lasagna

  • 1 package (12 oz) oven ready lasagna noodles
  • 16 oz container of ricotta cheese
  • 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce (if you do not make your own)
  • 1/2 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
  • 1 lb ground Italian/hot sausage

Tomato Sauce

  • Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot or 1/2 large carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 small stalk of celery, including the green tops, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
  • 1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, including the juice, or 1 3/4 pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steps

Making the Tomato Sauce

  1. Decide whether your are going to make your own red sauce or use a store bought kind. Either way, your lasagna will be delicious.
    • To make your own red sauce[1]: Heat two Tbsp. of olive oil in a large skillet.
    • Chop one small carrot, one small stalk of celery, and two Tbsp of parsley. Once chopped, add them to the skillet. Stir them so that they are coated in the olive oil.
    • Reduce the heat to low and cook the vegetables and olive oil for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally until they are cooked through and soft.
    • Mince one clove of garlic and add it to the mixture. Turn the heat to medium.
    • Add one 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes with the juice. Add one teaspoon of tomato paste and two Tbsp. of freshly chopped basil.
    • Season the mixture with salt and pepper to your taste. Bring the sauce to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes without the lid. The sauce should become thick. Stir occasionally.
    • For really flavorful sauce, let the sauce simmer all day.
  2. Combine one pound of Italian sausage with a 1/2 pound of ground beef. Place the meat mixture in a frying pan and brown it.
    • Skip this step if you would prefer to make a vegetarian lasagna.
  3. Drain the meat once it is fully cooked. Draining the meat will reduce the grease and make your lasagna a bit healthier. Set the meat aside.

Making the Cheese Sauce

  1. Put 16 oz of ricotta cheese into a bowl. Add an egg and beat the mixture until it is thoroughly combined. Set this bowl aside. You will use it later when layering the lasagna as a way to separate layers and hold the noodles together.
  2. Shred a block of mozzarella cheese with a cheese grater. You should shred enough for four cups of mozzarella cheese.[2]
  3. Combine one cup of Parmesan cheese with the shredded mozzarella. This mixture will be used to create it's own layer in the lasagna.[2]
    • Another option is to combine the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella and egg in one large bowl. Make sure to mix them well.

Layering and Baking the Lasagna

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lay all of your ingredient bowls out in an assembly line to make the layering process quicker and more efficient.
    • If you are making your lasagna with your friends or your kids, assign each person a layer to be in charge of. This may slow down the layering process a little but it will be fun.
  2. In a 9" x 13" pan, spread 1 and 1/2 cups of sauce. Make sure to coat the pan evenly.[2]
  3. Top your layer of sauce with four sheets of lasagna oven noodles.
  4. Spread one cup of the ricotta cheese mixture on top of the noodles with a knife. The ricotta will act as a base layer for the rest of the cheese. It will also hold your noodles together.[2]
    • If you chose to combine all of the cheese, spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Set the other half aside.
  5. Sprinkle the mozzarella and Parmesan mixture over the ricotta. Keep in mind how many layers of cheese you would like and save enough of the mixture for each layer. The number of layers in your lasagna is entirely up to you.[2]
  6. Top the cheese mixture with 1/3 of the meat mixture. Top the meat layer with another sauce layer.[2]
  7. Repeat the layering process. Sauce, pasta noodles, cheese, and then meat covered by sauce.
  8. Top your final layer with the last four sheets of lasagna oven noodles. Add the rest of the sauce to cover the noodles.[2]
  9. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese onto the sauce. This will melt on top and hold the top layer together.
  10. Sprinkle the top layer with a pinch of garlic powder or garlic salt. Place a garnish of parsley on top. Add as much or as little as you like. This is an optional step. (to taste).[2]
  11. Wrap the lasagna tightly with foil. Place the lasagna on a cookie sheet in case it bubbles over.
  12. Bake the lasagna for about 30 minutes while it is covered with tin foil. Remove the cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the top layer of the lasagna is light brown and bubbly. Turn the oven off and let the lasagna stand for 10 minutes. This will give the lasagna time to settle.[2]
  13. Finished!

Related Articles

  • Make Lasagna Cups
  • Make Gluten Free Potato Lasagna
  • Cook Vegetable Lasagna
  • Make Baked Mini Lasagnas

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/basic_tomato_sauce/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 http://womenlivingwell.org/2012/02/how-to-make-homemade-lasagna-with-no-boil-noodles/

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