Saturday, January 29, 2011

San Giorgio Oven Ready Lasagna

Whole milk mozzarella and whole milk ricotta make an extra good dish!



1 lb ground beef (or sausage)
3-4 cups sauce (I use 1 1/2 jars of Classico Four Cheese)
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
12 pieces Oven Ready Lasagna noodles, uncooked
4 cups (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese (this is just enough)
1/4 to 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Heat oven to 350. Remove 12 pieces of pasta from package. 

In large skillet, cook meat until browned; remove from heat. Drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce.

In a small bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, egg, basil and oregano

Assembly
In a 13x9 inch baking dish, spread 3/4 cup meat sauce.

Place 3 pieces uncooked pasta crosswise over sauce. Pieces should not overlap or touch side of pan since they will expand when baked.

Spread about 2/3 cup ricotta mixture evenly over pasta. Spread 3/4 cup meat sauce evenly over ricotta covering pasta completely; sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.

Repeat steps 2 and 3 TWO more times. Top with remaining 3 pasta pieces. Spread remaining meat sauce completely over pasta; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and the parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil. Bake 10-15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with additional sauce, if desired. 10-12 servings.


MAKE AHEAD DIRECTIONS
Prepare as directed; DO NOT BAKE. Cover with foil and refrigerate up to 48 hours or freeze up to 2 months. Bake refrigerated lasagna at 400 about 45 minutes and frozen lasagna 1 hr and 35 min, removing foil during the last 5 minutes of baking.