What is a “Weeknight” Lasagna? It’s what us non-Italians eat at home, and devour without shame. Clearly, I’m not Italian. So there was never a “who’s homemade Sunday gravy is best” debate. For me growing up it was, which jar is best, but with a deep appreciation of the homemade stuff too. Just no need to perfect one of my own.
So when you want a home run EASY Lasagna on like a Wednesday? Here ya go! Ooey Gooey layers of heaven.
After you cut into this dish, your whole family will be “calling” their piece(s). Are you more of a middle piece or a corner person!?
Enjoy!
Weeknight Lasagna
Cutting some corners, and keeping all the flavor.
Ingredients
- 10 Dry Lasagna Noodles
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 45 oz Marinara Sauce I prefer Prego Traditional.
- 4 c Shredded Mozzarella
- 16 oz Ricotta
- 1 Egg
- 6 oz Frozen Spinach* thawed and water squeezed out
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- Sprinkle of Parmesan
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375
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Prep: Cook Lasagna Noodles* to Al Dente, the lower time written on the box. Brown ground beef with salt, pepper, and a little dry minced onion if you have it. Drain. Then take your thawed [no longer frozen] spinach* and squeeze all the water out.
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Mix spinach*, ricotta, egg, salt/pepper (about 1/2 tsp of each) in a bowl and set aside.
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Assembly: First down: is about 1/2 cup of sauce. Then three noodles, followed by more sauce (1/3) of jar,* half of the ground beef, then 1 1/2 cups of the shredded mozzarella. Layer 2: Three more noodles, 1/3 of the sauce, all of your ricotta mixture, then about 1 cup of shredded mozzarella. Layer 3: Three more noodles (that leftover noodle is for you to eat now, you earned it), rest of the sauce, rest of the beef, and yes, rest of the mozzarella and a sprinkle of parmesan.
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Cover with foil, and bake for 45 mins. Then uncover and bake 15 min more until you can see that sauce is bubbly perfection on the sides. Turn on the broiler for a couple min to brown the top cheese if it needs a bit more delicious color.
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Let it sit for 5-10 min before cutting, its HOT. Take this time to make some garlic bread. The kind you find in the freezer section.
Recipe Notes
- I don’t like no-boil noodles. I’ve never had good luck with them, but if you have go for it.
- Gluten-Free noodles work great!
- Spinach can be Optional if you have a picky eater, but I think its an easy way to sneak in some power greens.
- I mention cups in the recipe, you don’t need to dirty any measuring cups. Jar sauce is clear, eyeball those 1/3 jar measurements. Same with the mozzarella, eyeball your 4 cups among the 3 layers. I just recommend your ricotta layer has the least amount.
- The sauce will cook and bubble into the beef for 1 hour in the oven…that’s why when we are cutting corners I don’t find it necessary to heat the sauce in the beef prior to assembly.
-birdbelly
