Once A Month Cooking~ Lasagna

When I make lasagna… I make lasagna. It is just as easy to make three or four lasagnas as it is to make one (if you have the baking dishes available). When I buy lasagna ingredients I buy enough for several lasagnas and make extra to put in the freezer.

Here’s my lasagna recipe, this recipe makes one lasagna, but it’s a great once a month cooking (OAMC) recipe to make in bulk.

I get out a large skillet to brown the ground beef, and a large pot to heat the sauce.

Once a Month Cooking Lasagna Recipe

One box lasagna noodles

1 lb lean ground beef

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped onion

16 oz ricotta cheese

The Sauce:

1 -30 oz can tomato sauce

1 1/2 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

For the lasagnas I plan on freezing I line the pans with wax or parchment paper so I can take the lasagnas out of the pans once they’re partially frozen, until I’m ready to cook them. Then I wrap the partially frozen lasagnas in freezer paper until they’re needed.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a large pot, and heat to a low simmer. Brown the hamburger and add the chopped onion. When the hamburger and onions are thoroughly cooked, drain and add to the sauce.

I never soak or cook my lasagna noodles before I put them in the lasagna. Layer a layer of lasagna in the pan, then pour about 2 cups of the sauce mixture over the noodles. Add a layer with about 1/3 of the container of ricotta cheese, sprinkle on 1/3 of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Repeat the layers two more times.

Image (c) L Gerlach

Of course I usually bake one for supper that night, we can’t save them all for later, right?

Image (c) L Gerlach

When you’re ready to bake your frozen lasagna, thaw it over night in the refrigerator, trim back the parchment paper then bake at 325` for about 40 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and the lasagna is heated through.