Ingredients: |
Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef, medium or lean
2 medium onions, chopped
2 T. vegetable or cooking oil
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1 tsp. salt
1 can tomato paste (6 oz. or 156 ml)
2 to 2 1/2 c. tomato juice
1 tsp. mixed Italian herbs
1 pkg. fresh spinach
lasagna noodles
1 c. cottage or ricotta cheese
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
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Directions: |
Directions:Prepare first:
1. Chop onions and dice green pepper.
2. Crush garlic (pull of 2 cloves from garlic bulb and crush with heavy knife handle against a board or counter top. If a board, wash well ‘coz smell remains).
3. For mixed Italian herbs, I buy the dry Italian dressing mix which comes in a packet.
4. Spinach must be rinsed very well because it is grown in sandy soil and sand sticks to leaves.
5. When cooking noodles (see steps below), add salt and a tablespoon of cooking oil to water. Have a pot big enough that noodles have room. Oil will keep noodles from sticking together.
6. Bring water to boil and carefully drop a few lasagna noodles in, don’t crowd them, or they tend to break.
7. When tender, carefully lift from boiling water with a broad pancake turner, draining on a board (not paper, they stick).
8. Keep noodles warm (cover with cloth).
9. Keep cooking until all noodles are done. Generally you will use about a 1/2 pound of noodles, but cook a few more.
10. When noodles are cool enough to handle, cut to fit the pan you are using. Usually, they fit exactly without cutting, but you may be using a different size pan than I do.
11. Use broken noodles on the inside layers rather than the bottom or top.
Notes:
1. One cheese is as good as the other, except that REAL Italians use ricotta. If you use cottage cheese, get the dry kind.
2. Parmesan comes in a shaker container. Instead of measuring it out, I just sprinkle it very thickly on top. It’s difficult to get too much.
12. NOW TO GET GOING. It’s a tedious food, but so GOOD.
13. Stir fry beef and onions slowly in hot oil until meat is lightly browned.
14. Drain off fat. Add pepper, garlic, salt, tomato paste, tomato juice, Italian herbs.
15. Stir well and cover, cooking slowly for 30 minutes.
16. While meat is cooking, cook noodles in boiling water, according to previous directions. Cut to fit pan.
17. ALSO - while meat and noodles are cooking, put some water in a pan, perhaps a couple inches, place the steamer in pan, then pile the spinach right in the pan. It will steam down.
18. Cover spinach and bring water to boil. Let steam for perhaps 3-5 minutes or until spinach is obviously cooked.
19. Cut spinach in shreds with a pair of scissors and set aside until needed.
20. When beef has cooked for 30 minutes, uncover and continue simmering (gently bubbling) until thickened.
21. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.
22. When the meat, noodles, and spinach are all cooked, you are ready to construct the lasagna. Arrange layers in buttered pan as follows:
- noodles to cover bottom of pan
- half the meat mixture
- half the sliced mozzarella
- noodles (here’s where you use broken pieces if necessary)
- spinach
- ricotta or cottage cheese
- noodles
- balance of meat mixture
- balance of mozzarella
- noodles
23. If your pan or dish isn’t deep enough for this many layers, leave out one middle layer of noodles.
24. Brush top of noodles with oil and sprinkle with plenty of parmesan cheese.
25. Cover and bake at 350º F for 30 minutes.
26. Uncover and bake for 20 more minutes or until top is bubbly. |
This recipe for Lasagna with Spinach is from