Lasagne

Good Morning my beautiful bees! I have a new recipe for you! This is an oldie but a goodie that I make.

Now, I am going to give you this recipe which calls for jarred sauces, etc. BUT I am also going to talk about how I freeze beef and make sauce. You just do WHATEVER is more likely to get the meals into the freezer! If you have a jarred sauce you like, USE IT! Don't worry about making a sauce from scratch :).

I like to make this on the same day I cook off a lot of sausage and or ground beef. I take the defrosted sausage/beef (it comes with the pork and beef I order from a local farm) and put it in a pyrex baking dish, cover it tightly with tin foil, and bake it at 350 until it is done. I use some of that in my lasagne recipe, and the rest I put in the freezer (to freeze, it is best to spread it on a thin layer on a pan and freeze, then put in baggies. However, I often just put straight into baggies but in thin enough layer for me to break off what I need. I am laz...ahem....expedient that way :) ).

On the day I do this, I generally make pasta sauce as well that is REALLY good. It has a secret ingredient that completely takes the flavor to another level. Well actually TWO secret ingredients. :D

So since I already have the sausage made, and already have the sauce made, it is nothing at all to assemble the lasagnes. I do not cook the noodles first. I just use the regular lasagne noodles dry. I do not bake the lasagnes then, just assemble and put in the freezer. When I reheat, I do so in the microwave and the cheese on top still browns. GREAT GREAT freezer meal!

Lasagne

1 Batch 2 batches 4 batches

12 lasagne noodles----------------------------24 lasagne noodles--------------------- 48 noodles (two boxes)

15 oz ricotta cheese----------------------------30 oz ricotta cheese--------------------60 oz ricotta cheese

1 box frozen chopped spinach----------------2 boxes spinach------------------------4 boxes spinach

2 beaten eggs----------------------------------4 beaten eggs---------------------------8 beaten eggs

1 ½ tsp garlic powder-------------------------3 tsp garlic powder--------------------6 tsp garlic powder

1 jar marinara sauce --------------------------2 jars marinara sauce-----------------4 jars marinara sauce

3 cups shredded mozz ------------------------6 cups shredded mozz---------------12 cups shredded mozz

Salt and pepper to taste------------------------same -----------------------------------same

Optional:

1 lb Italian sausage or beef (cooked) -------2 lbs Italian sausage or beef--------4 lbs Italian sausage or beef

1 jar alfredo sauce---------------------------- 2 jars alfredo sauce -----------------4 jars alfredo sauce

½ cup parm cheese --------------------------1 cup parm cheese ------------------2 cups parm cheese

Thaw and well drain spinach. In a bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, eggs, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Spread ½ cup of marinara sauce in a disposable 13x9 dish*. Layer with 3 lasagne pieces**, ½ cup sauce, half of the ricotta, ½ cup mozzarella. Repeat layers once. Top with remaining noodles, sauce, then cheese****. Wrap and place in freezer. On baking day, preheat oven to 375 and bake until inner middle is thoroughly cooked. These can also be microwaved and turn out just as good.

*Note: I make these in 8x8 disposable pans, so each batch actually makes almost two batches.

**Note: It is not necessary to cook the noodles first as long as you are sure that the sauce layers cover the noodles. The noodles will soften and cook as they absorb liquid from the sauce.

***Note: you can mix the sausage into the sauce, or use it as its own layer after the first layer of noodles and sauce. Then add the sausage, then the cheese over it.

****Note: if you are going to add the alfredo sauce, place on top of sauce on top of last noodles. Same with the parmesan. END WITH MOZZARELLA CHEESE!

*****Note: you can also use mexican cheese, or mixes of cheese if you want slightly different flavors.