Lazy Lasagna

Love the taste of lasagna, but hate how the time it take to construct it takes away from valuable dance time and party time? Well this twist on lasagna gives you all the flavor, and is a true time saver. Wow! I saved so much time, I learned how to rhyme! Alright, let's-a make-a the pasta!

***Disclaimer - No mustaches were harmed in the making of this Instructable. Also, we know that all Italians don't have mustaches. The only ones we know though are Mario and Luigi. Well, and the Sopranos, but we didn't want to see anyone sleep with the fishes, so we just got a little silly with it instead.

You can totally change up the ingredients and pasta variety to suit your fancy. We opted for the fancy Bowtie pasta, since were such fancy people, but Rotini, Penne, Elbow, and others all work well too. I make-a the big pan so we use 2 boxes, one pound of ground beef, a large can of crushed or diced tomatoes, a pound of shredded mozzarella, one container of ricotta, a couple of jars of pasta sauce, and to make is super awesome....one pack of ground Italian sausage. The mustaches are optional, but they are for wearing only. Do not attempt to put them IN the pasta.

This may seem odd, and feel free to skip this step if you want, but I'm telling you it works! I find that spreading the ricotta on lasagna noodles is messy, time-consuming, and I can never get it just right. Try doing that on a noodle that's not flat, and it's impossible. Soooo, in my effort to do everything in the laziest way possible, I've discovered that spreading it on a sheet of wax paper and sticking it in the freezer while you cook the meat and pasta works like a charm. Licking the spreader when your done??? Kinda gross, but....to each their own.

Again, in an effort to save time, put on a pot of water to boil, while you start browning the meat. I use a pot for the meat, instead of a skillet, so when it splatters, no one gets burned. Also, later on, I can mix everything together in that pot, without making a bigger mess. But let's face it, we're going to make a mess. That's-a the way-a we do it. Once the water is boiling, throw in the noodles. Stir the noodles. Mix the meat. Repeat. Repeat. Look, I rhymed again!

Easy enough. Just drain them both.

Put the meat, the pasta, the tomatoes, and the sauce all together in one pot and stir it up.

It's not quite done yet. Almost there. Just need to put it all together.

Go ahead and pre-heat oven to 400 degrees at this point. Spray the pan with some cooking spray. You will regret it later, when you have to wash it, if you don't. Then scoop some of the pasta into the pan and spread it out.

No. Not picture time. Ricotta time. This is where I flip over my ricotta and peel the wax paper off. Takes all of a few seconds. Points for laziness! You can also use an icing bag to pipe it on, or do your best to spread it around however you can. Then sprinkle on some mozzarella. Repeat the pasta and cheese layers and voila! It's ready to bake.

Put the pan in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until cheese is good and melty.

Play Just Dance. Play beauty parlor. (Please do NOT use the cooking spray for hair spray!!!) Have a relaxing drink. (Juice of course!) Put a mustache on your sleeping older sister. (She's worn out from being our camera-girl.)

ahhhhhhhh! (Imagine the choirs of Angels singing Halleluiah.)

Now that's-a mighty tasty meal!