Hunk of Meat Monday: Lasagna

Recently a friend invited me over for supper and served lasagna. This inspired me to make my own lasagna. Of course my version is a little different from hers, and probably a bit different from how you make it. I usually make a very basic lasagna recipe. Check it out and let me know how you make your lasagna.

I’m sharing this recipe for Hunk of Meat Monday. This recipe is made with beef from my family farm. For Hunk of Meat Monday I’m linking up to Beyer Beware’s blog at: http://www.beyerbeware.net/p/hunk-of-meat-monday.html Visit her blog for lots of great meat recipes.

Lasagna

1 pound lean ground beef
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
32 ounces cottage cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
9 lasagna noodles
1/2 cup water

Directions: Brown the ground beef. Drain the grease if needed. Add the spaghetti sauce and simmer for five minutes. Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles in boiling water. In a bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, eggs, half of the grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt and pepper.

Assemble the lasagna in a 9 by 13 pan (you’ll notice I used a smaller square pan because I wanted a smaller lasagna). You can alternate the layers however you like. This is how I did it: meat sauce mixture, lasagna noodles, cheese mixture (repeat). Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add 1/2 cup water to the edges of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Serve.

You may not recognize the handy kitchen gadget I’m using in the photo below. If you’re like me and don’t care for lumps in your ground beef, this tool is for you. It works great for removing the lumps. Basically you just press it down all over the meat. I bought it at a store in Minneapolis (can’t remember the name), but my mom also has one that she bought through Pampered Chef.