Monday's Bread Bowl: Cheesy Meat Lasagna

A Three Cheese Bake

The Mixed Stew crew recently made a big haul of lasagna.  We already featured a very veggie eggplant.  This is the meat lovers’ rendition.

What you will need:

1 aluminum baking pan

Non-stick cooking spray

Aluminum foil

3 tablespoons cooking oil

1 large skillet w/ lid

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 garlic toes, minced

2 cups lasagna noodles, cooked al dente

1 lb Italian Sausage

1 ½ lb ground beef

1 (24 oz.) jar Ragu Tomato Pasta Sauce

1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup mushrooms, sliced

1 (32 oz) tub of Ricotta Cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Pinch of Salt and pepper

Cooking and Directions:

Heat skillet on medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, pepper, and salt.  Sautee ingredients until onion turn translucent.  Crumble in Italian Sausage and ground beef.  Stir well.  Let meat cook through and brown.  Pour in jar of Ragu sauce and can of crushed tomatoes.  Mix well.  Lower heat to medium-low and cover with lid.  Ingredients should simmer slowly for 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Add mushrooms to reduced sauce then cover with lid.  Let ingredients cook for another 10 minutes.  Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.  Grease baking pan’s bottom and sides with cooking spray.  Start building layers of lasagna with a layer of meat sauce.  Spread well to cover bottom of baking pan.  Place a layer of lasagna noodles over the initial meat layer.  Spread a layer of Ricotta, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses on lasagna noodles.  Repeat and lay-down alternate layers until you run out of noodles or the baking pan is full.  Cap off lasagna with a generous layer of shredded cheeses.  Cover with aluminum foil.   

Place unbaked lasagna in hot oven.  Let pan bake for at least 1 hour and 15 minutes.  Remove foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.  Take out lasagna from oven once cooking time is finished.  Let the lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes then cut into and serve.