SO GOOD Lasagne & Easy As Ever

Here is a simple way to make lasagne with UNCOOKED LASAGNE NOODLES (raw, hard). Lasagne assembly takes some time, in itself. Be patient. You will be greatly rewarded. This batch was meat & cheese. If you're vegetarian, just omit the meat from the sauce and sub layers of thinly sliced red bell pepper, eggplant, zuchinni, mushroom, artichoke hearts, spinach, etc. Or meat AND veg. Lasagne is an eye-ball form of cooking, as far as I'm concerned. However, I have compiled a basic recipe to follow. (You can assemble this the night before and keep it refrigerated until you're ready to bake, if you need. Just let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before you put it in the oven.) It takes an hour in the oven @ 375, and needs at least 15 minutes to establish its form. So, calculate this into your meal plan. Serve with a salad and ample garlic bread. Your friends and family will be happily stuffed. Great leftover. Lasagne is no beauty queen. Use high quality ingredients and clean, clean hands. Get creative. Layer it YOUR OWN way. She promises to please you.

Sauce:
touch of olive oil
1/2 bell pepper, seeded & diced small
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
26oz (+/-) jar of your favorite red sauce
14.5oz can diced peeled tomatoes
splash of red wine
1+cup water
salt & pepper

Filling:
1 pound part skim mozarella, grated
15oz (+/-) ricotta
1+cup shredded parmesan
1-2 eggs (depending on size. 1 BIG egg. 2 medium eggs)
flat leaf parsley

AND ***a box of normal, dry lasagne noodles****

I used a VERY LARGE sautee pan, but I would probably suggest using a pot to compensate for increase in volume. I sautee the onion & bell peppers in a touch of olive oil on LOW so as not to burn the olive oil. (I grate the mozarella during this time.) Once the onions are almost transparent, remove the mix from the pan. Sautee meat until fully cooked and crumbly. Drain off fat into a bowl so you don't clog your drain with it (wait for it so solidify & scrape it into the trash). Reincorporate bell pepper/onion mixture into meat. Hit it with a splash of red wine. Salt & pepper. Add jar of sauce and can of diced tomatoes. Put water into sauce jar. Put lid back on. Shake it up to get any leftovers. Add to sauce. Stir. Turn off heat. PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 375

You should have a lot of grated mozarella. Save a little to top the lasagne with. Same with the shredded parmesan. Keep some for the top. In a big bowl, add your mozarella, parmesan, 1-2 eggs (scrambled first), and ricotta. Wash and pat dry your bunch of parsley. Grab some clean scissors and get all Edward Scissorhands on that herb. Big chunks are fine, but avoid stems for aesthetics. Grab two spatulas or spoons and mix until all of the egg and ricotta is even throughout.

Make sure you spray your pan with nonstick cooking spray. Start with a layer of sauce. Lay down noodles. Sauce on noodles. Cheese mixture. More sauce. Noodles. Sauce on noodles. Cheese mixture. For five layers of noodles. Last noodles get sauce on top and all that extra cheese. Make sure that all of your noodles are wet with sauce. Give the sides a douse of red wine for Bacchus. Spray inside of foil with nonstick cooking spray. Cover.

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes with the foil on. Remove foil. Make sure all your noodles look saucey; spoon sauce over any dry spots. Bake another 15 minutes uncovered. Remove and cool, almost 20 minutes if you can handle it. Make the salad now, and cook your garlic bread in the already hot oven. Then, eat your bliss.