I made this meatball lasagna for another event at least a year ago. I didn’t quite get my act together and have it ready for the event. So, I shared another meatball recipe for the event. Which means I have the recipe and post to share for you today for this comfort food recipe event.

When I think of comfort food, I always think of lasagna. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but they used to call me Garfield. And not because of the president. Because of the cartoon character that is famous for eating lasagna.

For every birthday for as long as I can remember, I’ve always asked for lasagna for dinner. It’s the one and only thing that I wanted for my special birthday dinner. I mean, who wouldn’t? It’s layers of meat and cheese and noodles all baked together in deliciousness.

What is lasagna?

I feel like this is a pretty basic question because most of us know what lasagna is. But maybe there are some people in another country reading this post that might now really know what lasagna is. At the most basic of definitions, lasagna is stacked noodles with alternating layers of ragu or meat sauce, vegetables, cheese, and occasionally béchamel sauce.

Of course, it can come in any range of sizes with a variety of fillings. I have made white Bolognese lasagna which was my fave so far. On the blog is an easy lasagna recipe and a taco lasagna recipe. There’s even an organic ratatouille lasagna that even has organic wine in the sauce. I think there’s even dessert lasagna out there. Though I haven’t ventured that far yet.

Who invented lasagna?

The Romans. Basically. Lagana, as it was called back there, consisted of thin sheets of dough cut into rectangles that were baked or fire cooked. It wasn’t until the Middle Ages was the dough boiled. Lasagna being one of the most popular results of this cooking method. Cheese is finally part of the dish in the late 1200s and eggs were added to the recipe in the Renaissance.

But it wasn’t until the late 1800’s that tomatoes came into play. Though we cannot know for sure where exactly, the theory is Napoli. This version has the layers of meat, pasta, and cheese that we’re used to seeing today. Then another theory has it from the Emilia Romagna region. It has ragu and bechemel along with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese which is famous in that region.

Finally, the father of the modern-day Bolognese, Francesco Zambrini, created his own version which is more like our typical lasagna we eat today. It has the layers of meat sauce, pasta, and cheese that we are all used to seeing. And I am so very much in love with eating.

What are some tips to make a good lasagna?

First and foremost, do not overcook the noodles. You want them to be al dente because they will continue to cook in the sauce in the pan. I make mine a little less than al dente to ensure they aren’t completely soggy when the lasagna comes out of the oven.

Yes, it makes them a sticky, but it’s worth it. To compensate for that spread the noodles out on an oiled baking sheet and layer them between parchment. This also takes a little bit of time. But it will make assembly that much quicker. You won’t need to untangle them from the strainer.

Always put sauce in the bottom of your pan. Do not start with noodles because they will only stick to the pan. Consider if the first of many layers. And when making your layers consider making more thinner layers than a few thicker layers. Between 5 and 10 is optimal.

Add eggs to your ricotta. If you don’t the ricotta will dry out. I have always put an egg with my ricotta. I thought it allowed the ricotta to spread onto the noodles. Come to find out, it’s to keep the ricotta from drying out. Little did I know! I also make sure to add some seasoning to the ricotta. Not that ricotta itself isn’t delicious but adding just a little bit of flavor really makes it stand out on its own.

Finally, make sure to cover your lasagna initially. Aim for at least half the baking time, but I go for 3/4 of the baking time. This ensures that the less than al dente noodles are cooked through. It also keeps the lasagna from drying out prematurely.

How long do you let lasagna rest?

I let mine rest for between 20 to 30 minutes. This allows everything to cool off and soak in a little more. It also allows for all the ingredients to really come together. This helps prevent a sloppy mess when slicing and serving. Because no one wants to have a sloppy mess when they’re slicing up lasagna.

What does meatball lasagna taste like?

It really does depend on your meatballs. I haven’t nailed a great Italian meatball recipe. It’s always a work in progress. Same thing with meatloaf. There’s always too much of something in there. Usually, it’s garlic or Italian seasoning. And then why is my meatloaf always Italian seasoned?

Once you’ve nailed the meatballs, then there’s the sauce. You could easily use a jarred marinara, which did for this recipe. But you could make a delicious marinara, Bolognese, or ragu for this lasagna. It just depends on how much time you want to spend on making this lasagna.

Combine these two with the flavored cheese layer and you have a stellar lasagna that tastes out of this world! All these layers come together and act like a opera is going on in your mouth. The flavors of the meatballs, the sauce, and the cheese just sing together. If with some simple shortcuts, you can have this on the table in less than 2 hours. And most of that is cooking time and then resting time.

Yield: 10

Meatball Lasagna

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Meatball Lasagna has layers of homemade Italian meatballs with sauce and ricotta with Parmesan.  It assembles quickly with precooked meatballs, a jar of sauce, and noodles.

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces Ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 pound Italian meatballs sliced in half
• 56 ounces marinara sauce
• 12 – 16 lasagna noodles
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces sliced Provolone cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Combine the Ricotta cheese with 1 cup Parmesan cheese, the egg, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Set aside.
3. Pour 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish.
4. Place one layer of noodles on top of the sauce.
5. Cover the noodles with one layer of meatballs.
6. Sprinkle 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese on top of the meatballs.
7. Top the meatballs with 2 to 3 cups of sauce.
8. Place a layer of noodles on top of the meatballs.
9. Then layer the Provolone cheese on top of the noodles.
10. Spread the Ricotta mixture over the Provolone.
11. Top with another layer of noodles.
12. Pour 1 to 2 cups of sauce over the top of the noodles.
13. Cover the casserole dish and bake at 350 for 50 minutes.
14. Uncover the casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the lasagna.
15. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese I melted and bubbly.
16. Allow to cool in the pan 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 514Total Fat 26gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 85mgSodium 1448mgCarbohydrates 43gFiber 5gSugar 10gProtein 28g

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Comfort Food Recipes

• Butterscotch Tapioca Pudding from That Recipe
• Cajun Red Beans and Rice Skillet from Blogghetti
• Cream of Spinach Soup from Art of Natural Living
• Fried Chicken Hot Shot (Manhattan) from Palatable Pastime
• Gluten-Free, Vegan Cilantro Cream Quinoa Spaghetti from Magical Ingredients
• Make Ahead Beef Stew from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Meatball Lasagna from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Sausage Tortellini Soup from Fresh April Flours
• Taco Soup from Devour Dinner

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

The post Meatball Lasagna appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

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Y’all know how much I love lasagna. I’ve made it more than I’ve shared it on the blog. I should remedy that.  But, in all honesty, I probably make the lazy lasagna more often than any other types of the lasagna. It’s so delicious and so … lazy!

I’ve even tried a few that were fails. Well, I thought they were okay, but the hubs said no. I made an all veggie lasagna with a white sauce. That didn’t go over well. Sometimes they’re just watery and not really blog worthy.

And then there’s the lasagna ideas I have in my head. Mushroom lasagna. Pastitisio lasagna. Mexican lasagna. Those are just a few ideas I have for traditional lasagna.

Then there’s the non-traditional lasagna recipes. I’ve made lasagna joes that are fabulous!  They’re also a super quick meal your kids will love.  I know, but my big kid and I loved them.  I’m thinking about a stuffed lasagna pepper.  Wouldn’t that be delicious?

If y’all have been reading my blog, then you know that I’m always up for a challenge.  I mean, I made French macarons for the first time by jumping in with both feet.  That didn’t turn out too bad, did it?

Next was the Kosher Thanksgiving dinner.  That was even more of a challenge.  Especially since I had no idea how to cook Kosher.  Luckily, I knew someone who ate Kosher where I worked.  He gave me some good pointers and skooled me.

Why do they put stickers so many stickers on produce?  It seems counter intuitive to me that organic produce has these inorganic stickers on them.   Is it just me?

So, there was no way I was going to create a recipe that was just a little organic.  Oh no!  This recipe is 100% organic.  The olive oil, the pasta, canned tomatoes for the sauce, cheeses, and vegetables are all 100% organic.  So, from here out, I will no longer tell you that it’s organic this or organic that.  This recipe is 100% organic.

For me, that was a challenge!  I don’t buy organic produce.  It’s just not in my budget.  And I will keep the soapbox under the bed on how I feel about that.

Anyway.

Thankfully, there’s a Whole Foods nearby.  I spent more time there in the last few weekends than my usual grocery store.  Not just because it’s a great grocery store and you can get delicious lunch there.  I shop there often because they usually have exactly what I’m looking for.  And this time, they did not disappoint.

I’ve been playing with the idea of a ratatouille lasagna for a while now. It has been on my list of recipes to make since last year, I think. Since I had tried a vegetable lasagna before, I was hesitant to try another one. However, this one seems to have stuck around in my mind long enough for the perfect time to make it. And this was the perfect time to make it!

Now, the only other ratatouille I’ve made was a stir-fry version.  I thought it was delicious.  However, I’m not sure what my husband thought.  It was a #MeatlessMonday recipe when we were eating meatless recipes once a week.

I have not made nor have I eaten official ratatouille.  I loved the movie though!  It did inspire me to put ratatouille on my list of recipes to make.  I just took my inspiration in a different route.

And look where that route took me!  Layers of cheese, pasta, vegetables, more cheese, more pasta, and delicious homemade sauce!  Doesn’t that look divine?  I’m drooling right now.  I want to make another recipe, it was THAT good.

Confession.  I didn’t get the ricotta at Whole Foods.  Somehow, I accidentally grabbed cottage cheese.  I hear you, Italians!  It’s not the same thing!  So, I sent the hubs to Walmart of all places for ricotta.  I told him to get whatever he could find.  He surprised me with some organic ricotta… FROM WALMART!  Who knew?

That is why I can say this recipe is 100% organic.

Now, if you’re like me and don’t necessarily follow the organic lifestyle, not to worry!  You can still make this amazing lasagna with ingredients that fit your lifestyle.

I made my own sauce for this recipe. It’s a simple recipe that makes at least 3 quart jars of sauce. It’s based on an Alton Brown recipe using canned, whole, peeled tomatoes. This sauce is simple, delicious, and tastes just like the jarred version.

I can’t get over the layers of delicious, organic, goodness that is in this lasagna. And that golden, melted cheese on top? Oh yeah, baby. You can’t resist this recipe. It’s a must make for ANYTHING! 

Organic Ratatouille Lasagna

Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

If you prefer organic fruits and vegetables for your family, then have no fear! My Organic Ratatouille Lasagna is 100% organic from the olive oil to the pasta. And the Veggie Wash is organic, too!

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Ingredients

• 56 ounces whole, peeled, canned tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
• 4 teaspoons granulated garlic, divided
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 large eggplant (or 2 to 3 of the Japanese eggplants)
• 2 medium zucchinis
• 2 medium yellow squash
• 56 ounces canned, crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon Stevia or honey
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup red wine (Yes, I bought organic wine)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped, divided
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 3 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked to just under al dente, cooled

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Coat with extra-virgin olive oil. Remove the whole, peeled tomatoes from the can and place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning and 2 teaspoons garlic powder. Bake at 425 for 15 to 20 minutes or until the liquid in the bottom of the pan evaporates and begins to brown. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
3. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Sauté the onion until translucent; about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the roasted tomatoes squishing with your hands as you add them to the pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook the tomatoes until they begin to caramelize.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and continue to cook until the tomato paste turns a dark red color. Add the red wine and cook 1 minute before stirring in the juices from the canned, whole tomatoes and the crushed tomatoes. Stir in 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, 1 tablespoon fresh basil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary along with the 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning and remaining granulated garlic. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for at least one hour, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by one fourth. Stir in the Stevia or honey to reduce the tartness of the tomatoes.
5. While the sauce is cooking, slice the eggplant, zucchini, and squash 1/3 inch thick. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Coat with extra-virgin olive oil. Arrange the vegetables in layers starting with the eggplant, zucchini, and squash and continue until you’ve layered enough vegetables in roughly the same width and length as your casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake the vegetables at 425 to 10 to 15 minutes or until softened. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Combine the ricotta with the eggs and the remaining fresh oregano, rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Stir until combined.
7. Coat your casserole dish with extra-virgin olive oil. Place1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish. Layer with noodles using kitchen shears to cut them to size. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Layer with noodles using kitchen shears to cut them to side.
8. Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on top of the noodles. Cut the roasted vegetables to size and carefully place on top of the sauce.
9. Place another layer of noodles with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, the remaining ricotta mixture, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Top with the remaining noodles, trimming to fit, and then pour another 1/2 cup of sauce on top.
10. Bake, covered, at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving with garlic bread.

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Julia Child Inspired Recipes

• Beurres Composés – Cold Flavored Butters by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Cheese Puffs by That Recipe
• Easiest Pommes Dauphinoise (Scalloped Potatoes) by Art of Natural Living
• Eggplant Pizzas by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Organic Ratatouille Lasagna by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Slow Cooker French Onion Soup by Palatable Pastime

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

The post Organic Ratatouille Lasagna appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

This recipe and the giveaway included in this post is sponsored by Millican Pecan and Door County Coffee. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures possible.

I don’t how many times I’ve told y’all about my love for lasagna. Countless I’m sure. And again just recently for Lasagna Day. I mean, there’s a reason they used to call me Garfield growing up. That’s all I wanted to eat for special dinners like birthdays and holidays and plain old Sunday dinners with the family.

While rollantini isn’t lasagna per se but it is very similar to lasagna. The noodles are replaced with eggplant. Instead of layering the ricotta mixture with the eggplant, it’s rolled up in the eggplant. Then the whole kit and kaboodle is put in a casserole dish and topped with marinara sauce. So, you can see the similarity, right?

Eggplant rollantini has been on my list of things to make for a while now. Probably a couple of years. I just never got around to making it. Until #FallFlavors came about and I saw that eggplant was on my list from Seasonal Roots.

Then it hit me! Of course, it hit me even more because I got some goat’s milk ricotta. No, I didn’t put that in this rollantini. I need to be able to taste that first because I’ve never had it before. I’m one of those that want to taste it solo first before I decide what I want to do with it. Who’s with me on this one?

But the two together on their website made me really want to make some eggplant rollantini for #FallFlavors. So, I got some eggplant.

However, I must give you a word of advice on the eggplant.

Get ones that are more skinny than fat. It will make the slices easier to roll up. And get 2 or 3 that are the same thickness, too. It will make your rollantini more uniform in shape and size. Mine were all over the place. I had one eggplant that was almost round and one that was a little more ideal in size and shape. So, instead of standing them up like I wanted to, I had to lay them down. Which was fine, but not the way I wanted it to go.

I did not sprinkle the eggplant with salt like most people do. And there’s a legitimate reason for this. My initial experience with eggplant was one where Dad did just that. I can’t even remember what he was making. But it was something that told him to sprinkle it with salt before doing whatever it was. Maybe he didn’t rinse it off? Maybe the instructions didn’t tell him to? Either way, it was the SALTIEST meal I have ever put in my mouth. And that was the last time we had eggplant until I met the hubs.

I decided we should try a meat free meal once a week. Supposedly it’s healthier. And better for the environment? Because, you know, caw flatulence and all? Yes, I know there’s more to it than that, but I just had to say that. And, well, he’s a solid meat eater. I was trying anything and everything that was meaty to make for dinner. And this included eggplant.

I made a killer, oven-fried baked eggplant Parmesan that is super crispy and delicious. And I made some sloppy eds which are my version of an eggplant sloppy Joes. I thought they were good. He did not. I’ve roasted eggplant as a side dish and I think that’s about it? We haven’t really experimented much with it until now.

And this totally was an experiment. I had never made it before. I’d made rollantini once with pasta noodles. The hubs hated those. I didn’t put enough sauce in there, I guess? That failure made me wait a while before trying them again. But I’m glad I did try them again.

As you can see, these are deliciously packed with rich ricotta and Parmsan cheese wrapped in a par-baked eggplant slice. Then they’re placed in a casserole dish and topped with sauce. I chose a chunky marinara sauce. It was the perfect veggie accompaniment to the eggplant. They go in the oven until the ricotta is nice and bubble and then more cheese is sprinkled on top.

Because, cheese.

And any excuse to add more cheese to a dish is a good one to me. Besides cheese has calcium and protein. All the things you need when you have a meat free meal. Sometimes people don’t think about what your body needs before the dive into a vegetarian or vegan diet. At least that was the case when I was younger and being a vegetarian was THE thing to do.

But, if I hadn’t thought about meat free meals, I might not have made this delicious eggplant rollantini. Heck, I might not have even tried eggplant again at all! I could have been totally devoid of all eggplant if I didn’t choose to have a meatless meal once a week way back when.

I’m sure you’re glad I did. So I could share this delicious, and pretty easy recipe for you make. The hardest part was rolling the rollantini up. I started to stand them up then had to flip them all on their side. It wasn’t pretty. But, they look pretty darned good and taste awesome!

I served this with a side salad made with Millican Pecan pecans. They’re giving away a nice prize pack! So is Door County Coffee. While you’re down there, check out some other lasagna recipes I’ve made and see what the rest of the crew shared today for #FallFlavors.

Eggplant Rollantini

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

know I love me some lasagna, even if it’s in the form of this Eggplant Rollantini stuffed with rich ricotta and Parmesan and baked in a chunky marinara sauce.

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Ingredients

• 2 average size aubergines (try to pick 2 similar in size and shape that's fairly narrow)
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 28 ounces chunky marinara (I used Ragu)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cut the top and end off the eggplant. Using a mandoline, slice the eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Place the slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat mat. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until just pliable enough to roll up.
3. Allow to cool enough to handle.
4. While the eggplant are cooking, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of Italian cheese blend, the chopped parsley, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic salt, and black pepper in a small mixing bowl. Stir until combined.
5. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara in the bottom of the casserole dish.
6. Working with one slice of eggplant at a time, spread 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on top of the eggplant. Roll up and place in the casserole dish. Continue with the remaining eggplant and ricotta mixture.
7. Pour the marinara sauce over the rollantini.
8. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes or until bubble.
9. Remove the cove, spread the remaining cheese on top, and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and brown.
10. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.
    

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 369Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 82mgSodium 1214mgCarbohydrates 34gFiber 8gSugar 14gProtein 21g

Did you make this recipe?

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Lasagna Recipes

Meatball Lasagna

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Lasagna with Love

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Lasagna Joes

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Lasagna Stuffed Meatloaf

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Lazy Lasagna

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Taco Lasagna

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Healthier Lasagna with Roasted Tomato Sauce

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White Bolognese Lasagna

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Organic Ratatouille Lasagna

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Welcome to Flavors of Fall where we celebrate all things associated with fall like squash, apples, pecans, sweaters, football; you get the idea!  Ellen from Family Around the Table and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures have gathered 24 bloggers who have over 100 recipes they’re sharing this week in celebration of cool weather and sweatshirts.  We hope you find many must make recipes so get your pinning, tweeting, and sharing fingers ready!

Here’s what we made for Thursday:

Breakfast
Cinnamon Pecan Muffins by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Coffee Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Praline Pumpkin Spice Mini Muffins by Family Around the Table

Savory
Coffee Rubbed Pork with Autumn Spices by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Eggplant Rolantini by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Potato Rosemary Bread with Roasted Garlic by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

Dessert
Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Easy Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler by Palatable Pastime

The post Eggplant Rollantini appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

This post is sponsored by the Certified Angus Beef ® brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Y’all know I love lasagna, right?  I’m sure I’ve discussed it a few times before.  One would think, as much as I love lasagna I would have more lasagna recipes on my blog!  If not, at least more lasagna mash up recipes like these sloppy joes on there, too.  I should work on that.

Of course, I’m adding to my collection with this meatloaf.  It didn’t start out as a lasagna stuffed meatloaf.  No.  It started out as a spaghetti stuffed meatloaf.  And I may still work through that recipe and share it with y’all, too.  So, stay tuned for that one.

So, I was working on a recipe for spaghetti stuffed meatloaf.  I made it quite a few times before I realized it was just missing something.  It needed some oomph.  Something that just makes you want to keep eating it because it tastes so delicious.

Enter lasagna.

I’m still not sure why it took me so long to figure that out.  One would think that as much as I love lasagna it would have been first on my mind.  But, I’m ashamed to say, it wasn’t.  However, it is the first stuffed meatloaf that I’ve published on my blog.  So, that should say something!

Of course, this meatloaf is made even more delicious because I used Certified Angus Beef® brand ground beef.  I know I’ve talked about how amazing their beef is before.  And I will talk about their beef every chance I get.

True story.

My father and step-mother were over for dinner recently.  Since the weather was going to be nice the hubs and I decided to grill some steaks.  So, what’s a hoor to do?  Go to her local Weis market and pick up some bone-in strip steaks, since they were on sale.

I grab some items from the produce section, check out the pasta for wagon wheels, and then head to the meat section to pick out my steaks.  Now, I felt like a kid in a candy store.  Not only did they have a great selection of Certified Angus Beef® brand meats, but Weis had several packages with additional discounts.  I couldn’t help myself.  A lot of these packages of meat were at least if not more than half price!!

HOLY MOLY JACKPOT!

I loaded up so much meat that the manager had to override a few of the packages because of the discount.  I bought some top round, bottom round, stew meat, and something marked fondue.  I’m guessing that’s tender strips of some sort of steak to be cooked in an oil fondue?  I’ll have to research that one.  And, of course, I bought the Certified Angus Beef® brand bone-in strip steaks.

While I was standing there trying to pick out the best package of steaks, a Weis employee was drooling over a gorgeous eye of round roast.  Oh yeah!  I got one of those two.  She was commenting on how one day she was going to purchase one and cook it.  So, of course, what did I do?  I said, “You should!  And then use their Roast Perfect app to cook it!”  She was surprised to find out about the app.  “Yes!  Certified Angus Beef® brand has an app that tells you how to cook roasts perfectly.  I use it for all my rib roasts!”

Then she said, “Really?  I’ll go download that right now!”

Fast forward to dinner with Dad and step-mom.  I told them we were eating Certified Angus Beef® brand bone-in strip steaks for dinner.  Dad asked what I have to do to be an ambassador for the brand.  So, I started explaining what that all entails, how much we love their meat, and all the required elements to be Certified Angus Beef® brand!  I don’t think he was expecting so much information.  He even commented about my “on” button as far as talking about the brand goes.

However, when we sat down to dinner, and my step-mother who typically eats like a bird devoured her whole steak, they understood perfectly!  It truly is the best beef we have ever eaten.  I told them where they could purchase Certified Angus Beef® brand meat in our area.  The stores are few, but definitely worth the drive for melt in your mouth goodness.

I have to admit, these aren’t the most gorgeous photos and it’s not the most editorial recipe to photograph.  See what I mean?  But, what I will admit is that this meatloaf is so good.  It has that Italian meatloaf flavor in the meat.  Because our meatloaf is always Italian for some reason.  There’s garlic, onion, Italian spices, and some tomato paste in the ground beef mixture.

Tomato paste in the beef?  Yes!  Try it.  It adds a level of flavor to the ground beef you’ll love.  And it adds moisture if you’re using low fat ground beef, like we did.  Yes.  I use low fat ground beef in all my recipes.  The hubs has an issue with cholesterol that statins cannot contain.  It’s genetic and off the charts.  So, I do what I can with our diet to try to keep his numbers relatively low for him.  And when I use the lowfat ground beef, I find all the ways to make sure it stays moist.

You see those layers?

That’s lasagna noodles, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses mixed with a little tomato sauce and garlic, more noodles, then more tender and juicy Certified Angus Beef® brand ground beef.  There’s some mozzarella on top that I browned in the broiler before slicing and serving.  You can’t tell me you’re not drooling.  I’m drooling!

See how moist, tender, and juicy that meatloaf is?  It’s definitely not your mother’s meatloaf.  Those layers of noodles, cheese, and beef.  I can’t imagine anyone’s mother making a meatloaf like this one.  Mine sure didn’t.  Actually, I think it was Dad that made the meatloaf most of the time.  And, I’m not ashamed to say, most of the time our meatloaf was made in the microwave oven.

We had like the Cadillac of microwaves.  It had the probe and everything.  We would shape the meatloaf around the edge of the Pyrex dish allowing the juices and grease to pool in the center.  It was like the bundt pan of meatloaves.

Anyway, this meatloaf is not like that meatloaf.  It’s not like any meatloaf I’ve ever eaten or made before.  The Certified Angus Beef® brand ground beef has intense flavor that compliments the ricotta and mozzarella cheese in the filling.  Serve with a nice tossed salad and you have a great dinner for your family.

And, the next day you can have a delicious meatloaf sandwich with the leftovers!  I don’t know what it is about meatloaf, but it makes the most delicious sandwiches for lunch.  After my little photo shoot, I couldn’t resist the craving to slice some meatloaf up and put it between two slices of sandwich bread.

Yes, that’s Colby jack cheese there on the bread.  I was out of provolone.  A good smoked provolone would be fabulous or sliced mozzarella.  Heck.  I’m not prejudice with my cheese.  I love all cheese equally.  Especially when they’re on bread in a sandwich with this amazing lasagna stuffed meatloaf.

Trust me when I say you’ll love to eat this meatloaf for dinner, lunch, and the lunch the next day, maybe for breakfast.  It’s that good!  Have you stuffed your meatloaf before?

Make sure to follow Certified Angus Beef® brand on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube to see all the delicious recipes shared and stay up to date on their Facebook Live events.  I’ve learned so much from those events!  You will, too!

Lasagna Stuffed Meatloaf

That's right!  I took my favorite dish of all time and put it in the most comforting dish of all time.  Lasagna Stuffed Meatloaf is meaty, cheesy, and a great twist on two classic meals made with Certified Angus Beef® brand ground beef. #BestAngusBeef #Steakholder

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Ingredients

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• 2 pounds Certified Angus Beef® brand lean, ground beef
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons grated onion
• 1 tablespoon grated garlic, I used a garlic press
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/3 cups ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup pizza sauce, divided (or half tomato sauce half tomato paste)
• 6 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 3 cups shredded, mozzarella cheese, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine the Certified Angus Beef® brand lean, ground beef with the next seven ingredients (eggs through black pepper). Using your hands, mix until combined.
3. Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap using two pieces; one lining it on the short side and one lining it on the long side (the two pieces will form a cross). Press 2/3 of the meat mixture into the loaf pan. You will want an even amount of ground beef around the bottom, edges, and side of the pan. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl combine the ricotta cheese with 1/4 cup of the pizza sauce.
5. Cutting the noodles to size with your kitchen shears, place one layer of noodles in the bottom of the pan on top of the meat mixture. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Place a layer of noodles on top of the ricotta mixture, spread with the remaining ricotta mixture, and sprinkle with another 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese before placing the last layer of noodles on top.
6. On a piece of plastic wrap, press the remaining meatloaf mixture out in a rectangle large enough to cover the meatloaf in the pan. Press the edges of the meatloaf on top to the meatloaf on the sides of the pan to seal in the lasagna filling.
7. Cover a roasting pan with a wire rack with aluminum foil (I cut slits in the foil on the rack to allow the juice to escape and not steam the meatloaf). Place the rack on top of the loaf pan and carefully invert the loaf pan (flip it over). Remove the plastic wrap from the meatloaf.
8. Baste the meatloaf with half of the remaining sauce. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Insert a meat thermometer horizontally into the top of the meatloaf making sure to insert the thermometer into the meat and not the lasagna filling. Cook the meatloaf until it reaches 145F.
9. Remove from the oven, baste with remaining sauce and top with remaining cheese. Bake until the thermometer reaches 155F before removing from the oven and resting at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Did you make this recipe?

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Want to see some more delicious Certified Angus Beef® brand recipes?

Coffee Rubbed Flat Iron Roast
Roasted Shallot and Herb Roast
Deliciously Drunken Marinated Steak
Skillet Beet Stew
New York Strip Roast with Savory Crust
Pressure Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup
Sweet Chili Braised Beef Short Rib Appetizers
Rotisserie Sirloin Roast
Garlic Lovers Steak and Scallops
Steak Crostini
Beef and Winter Vegetable Lasagna

The post Lasagna Stuffed Meatloaf appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

I take my lunch.  Religiously.  There are almost always leftovers for me to pack for lunch the next day.  So, for me, a hot lunch is inevitable.  And who doesn’t love a hot lunch?

I know school is just around the corner for some people.  Thankfully, I don’t have to deal with that.  I don’t have kids.  But that does mean that the traffic and commuting pattern does change.  I know it sounds weird, but those are the patterns that affect me to the most when fall comes.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good sandwich, which sometimes nothing compares to a hot lunch.  A stroganoff, chili, or pasta can really make or break a busy day at work or school.  You’re sitting there with your email inbox just filling up, you’ve got meeting stacked back to back, and work is piling up like there’s no tomorrow.

Then, it’s lunch time.  You open that container and it’s steaming hot contents sends up this heavenly aroma.  The day melts away.  Your stress and work melt away.  There’s nothing in the world but you and your Thermos container of hot lasagna sloppy joes.

You grab the bun and make a sandwich.  You want the sauce to have time to penetrate the bun.  Today, there’s a bit of left over salad from the night before or you have some left over French fries.  The door is shut, you ignore the phone, and you take one bite and relish in the delicious lasagna flavor of these sloppy joes.

Lasagna Joes have rich Italian flavors.  They have that meat and cheese combination that I love in lasagna.  You could even bring along some more mozzarella shredded or sliced to get even more cheesy goodness.  This meat mixture could even be tossed with some hot pasta for a completely different kind of meal!  Just saying.

By now you’re reading the ingredients and scoffing at the Worcestershire sauce.  To me, it’s not a sloppy joe if it doesn’t have a little of that flavor in it.  It’s an ingredient that enhances the rest and I honestly cannot make sloppy joes without it.  If you haven’t tried Worcestershire sauce in your sloppy joes, you really should.  It’s the key to fabulous sloppy joes.

Just look at that rich goodness!!  Those chunks of meat, that creamy sauce.  You just know it’s going to a lunch you want to savor and not rush.  It’s a lunch you want to ignore the fact that you’re at work or at school and just relish in that lasagna goodness.

This is a brioche style hamburger bun.  I wouldn’t recommend your typical hamburger bun.  It will just disintegrate and you’ll wind up eating it with a fork.  Oh yeah!  Remember to bring a fork or a spoon to eat the filling that falls out.  You will want to clean your plate!!

And you might want to bring a napkin or a kitchen towel.  It’s gonna get messy.  Maybe a wetnap or something for when you’re finished eating to clean your hands.  Trust me.  It WILL get messy.  Deliciously messy!  You can tell by just looking at it!

What’s your favorite hot lunch recipe?

Lasagna Joes

Healthy and delcious ground turkey is the base for this lasagna based sandwich. Turkey Lasagna Joes has all the flavors of delicious lasanga in a quick and easy sandwich form.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound low fat, ground beef (96/4)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 14 ounces pureed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
• 1 cup fat free mozzarella cheese
• 4 whole sandwich rolls
• 4 boxes Easy Fries
• 4 whole lettuce wedges

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onions. Saute 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the mushrooms release their juices. Remove from pan and keep warm.
2. Crumble the ground turkey into the pan and brown. Return the vegetables to the pan.
3. Add the pureed tomatoes and the Italian seasoning. Simmer for 3 to 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
4. Lightly toast the sandwich rolls. Top with two tablespoons ricotta theese.
5. Spread 2 tablespoons ricotta cheese on each of four sandwich rolls. Top with 1 cup of the meat mixture then 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
6. Preheat broiler.
7. Broil until the mozzarella is browned and bubble, about 1 to 2 minutes depending on your broiler.
8. Serve with a french fries and a wedge of iceberg lettuce with a dressing of your choice.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

The post Lasagna Joes appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

Can you believe that summer is almost over and kids will be going back to school soon?  Where did the time fly??  Seriously.  It’s seems like it was just yesterday that it was Memorial Day.  You know, the official start of summer?  How did that become of the start of summer?  Because all the kids are out of school?  Because it’s finally warm enough the whole day to go to the pool?  I’m curious.  If you have the answer, I’m dying to know.

And now, we’re in the “back to school” season where parents and kids alike think of all the preparations that need to be made to go back to school.  The lunch boxes, the paper, the pencils, the pens, the rulers, the calculators, the books.  I see those lists just sitting in the front of the store and am elated that I don’t have to deal with that nonsense.  Granted, I will more than likely stick one of the donation bags in my cart so that some kid whose parents struggle to make ends meet (and sometimes don’t) can send their kid off with all they need for a good education and hopefully a great life!

My parents always made sure I had everything I needed for a good education; including teachers.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not bashing teachers because I know it’s a thankless job for the most part, however, there are some teachers that are not up to par.  Take my kindergarten teacher for instance.  Yes.  I’m going way back for this one.  I received a not so great grade on coloring work that I completed one day.  Yup.  I was graded on my coloring.  And, since I used orange to color my people, I didn’t get a check mark.

My parents were furious.  I’m sure you would be, too!  I mean, who’s to tell an impressionable little kid that all people should be yellow or pink or even tan?  My dad and mom informed the teacher that she was NOT under any circumstances to tell me what color to use in my coloring book.  If I wanted people to be blue, they didn’t want to see anything but a checkmark on the coloring and how dare she try to dictate what color we were to use for people in the kindergarten.

Fast forward a few years to high school.  Yup, there wasn’t an issue with any of my teachers until I took geography in high school.    While the class started out okay, it turned south around the time of Black History month.  For the whole month of February, we had one assignment and it would take up a considerable portion of my grade.  There were 25 or 30 questions about famous black historians.  Again, don’t get me wrong, I know the importance of these people and the sacrifices they made for this great country of ours, but that’s more for history, right?  Not geography?

In order to complete this assignment, Mom and I spent several nights in the library trying to find the answers to these questions.  I mean, they weren’t your typical Jeopardy questions.  They were somewhat obscure in nature and not in your standard research books.  Again, my parents were livid and expressed concern that this isn’t appropriate material for a geography class.  What sealed the deal was the mock UN that we were to participate in class.  I get it; lots of countries trying to work things out, but that doesn’t really teach us about the country does it?

Where is all of this leading?  In the long run, sometimes it’s more than just pens, notebooks, and papers that kids need to do well in school.  Sometimes, the parents need to step in, really listen to their kids, and let the school and or teacher know when they’re just doing a disservice to their child and not really teaching them.  Just like my parents did for me and my sister.  They weren’t on the PTA or boosters at school, but they were involved.  Through our Sunday suppers and just talking to us kids they might find out something just didn’t seem quite right and we needed their support without knowing we needed it.  Sometimes, shocking to believe, the teacher and the school can be wrong, but if no one stands up for the students, they’ll never know.

I know, it’s easy to say because I have no children, but I have a niece and I know part of what my sister went through to make sure my niece received the best education.  I know how many times my sister had to email, call, or even meet with the teachers and principle to ensure my niece received a great education.  And if my sister wasn’t involved I’m sure my niece wouldn’t be the strong woman she is today.  Just like our parents made sure me and my sister were strong, educated, women.

And what did we have for our Sunday suppers you ask?  If I had my choice, it was always lasagna.  ALWAYS lasagna.  I mean, who doesn’t love all those noodles, cheese, sauce, and meat in one delicious package??  I asked for it at every birthday or special meal.  EVERY meal!  If we went out to an Italian restaurant, I usually ordered it (or alfredo).  It’s probably one of the first recipes I made when I was learning to cook.  I know I have as often as I can.  It’s hands down one of my favorite foods to eat!

So much so that I was nicknamed Garfield.  I had stuffed Pookie and a stuffed Garfield.  I watched the cartoon and all the specials every time they were on television.  I even read the comic strip in the newspaper.  I always agreed with Garfield that everything can be made better with lasagna.  Who’s with me on that one?

No?  Just me? Moving on…

I’ve tried and made a few lasagnas in my time.  I have a Lazy Lasagna recipe that you can assemble pretty quickly.  It uses a bunch of conveniences like jar sauce and pre-shredded cheese.  I’ve made summer veggie lasagna from Cooking Light that was okay.  It needs work, so I might get back to that at some point.  It just didn’t have that OMG amazing factor that I look for in a lasagna.  I’ve made healthier versions of my favorite meal.  This version is some wheat healthier in the way I made it.  I’ve lowered the fat content with the turkey sausage and lean beef.  I made mine with fat free cheeses and handmade sauce.  So, it’s healthier.

I’ve tried a Tex-Mex lasagna.  I’ve tried lasagna rolls.  If it has lasagna in the name, I’ve probably considered or made the recipe.  Chocolate lasagna?  I’m thinking about that one…  I need to get the pasta attachment for my mixer and learn to make my own pasta so I can make some chocolate lasagna noodles.  Then the hubs will truly think I’m off my rocker.  But think about it!  Chocolate noodles, fudge sauce, marscapone or pastry cream in the center with some brownies as the meat? Doesn’t that just sound interesting?  I know it would have been a recipe I would have tried when I was a kid.  And if you added some peanut butter it would be a favorite for me because I was all about the peanut butter.  OH!  I’ve got it.  You’ll just have to stay tuned on this one to see what I do.

Anyway, this week we are celebrating all our kids fave recipes.  Ellen from Family Around the Table is generously hosting this week’s event.  There should be just enough time to make all of these delicious recipes before the kiddos have to go back to school.  Hopefully they’re not early starters!  When I was growing it, it was always the day after Labor Day.  I think they’re trying to change that now, but we’ll see how that goes.  Fairfax can be quite a stubborn county when it wants to be and sticks with tradition.

What was your favorite meal growing up?  What was your “special meal” fave?  Did your family nickname you?

Lasagna with Love

Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

This Lasagna with Love is perfect for a Sunday supper because you can't rush the love you put into making this amazingly delicious and addictive dish that's been my favorite since I was a kid.

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4.8 Stars (5 Reviews)

Ingredients

• 56 ounces canned tomatoes
• 6 ounces tomato paste
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Tuscan seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 pound Italian turkey sausage
• 1/4 pound lean ground beef
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces cottage cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 cups mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Drain the canned tomatoes, reserving the juice for later, and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil coated in cooking spray. Sprinkle the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon of Tuscan seasoning and the garlic powder. Bake at 400 until they are a deep red, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Combine the juice from the canned tomatoes with the tomato paste using a whisk. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and the roasted tomatoes and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer at least 1 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. Once the sauce is finishing, use a hand blender to coarsely chop the whole tomatoes. A few, strategically places, pulses should do the trick. Return the pan to the stove and keep warm until.
5. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and 1 teaspoon or oregano to the pan. Once the pan is heated crumble the ground beef into the pan. Slit the sausage casings with a knife and crumble to the pan to brown with the ground beef. Once the meat is browned, stir it into the sauce and continue to simmer until ready to assemble the lasagna.
6. Preheat oven to 350.
7. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt before adding the lasagna noodles. Stirring frequently, cook the noodles until just al dente. You don’t want them to be completely cooked. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool them off.
8. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and oregano with the ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and lightly beaten egg. Stir until combined before adding 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
9. Lightly spray your casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread 2/3 cup of the sauce mixture into the bottom of your casserole dish. Arrange three noodles in the bottom of your dish. Place half of the meat mixture on top of the noodles, top with about 1/2 Cup of cheese, and another three noodles. Spread the cheese mixture on top of the noodles and top with three noodles. Top with all but 1 cup of the meat mixture and another 1/2 cup of cheese before arranging the last three noodles on top. Spread the remaining sauce on top, cover, and bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly.
10. Remove the cover, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Now, this is the hardest part of the recipe. Allow the lasagna to rest 20 to 25 minutes before slicing and serving. Not only will this keep you from burning your mouth, but you will get better slices out of the pan easier.
11. Serve with a tossed salad and garlic bread.

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I am a lustful person. I know. It’s not a good quality to have, be lustful, but I just can’t help myself!! I mean, just look at all that chees-y, meat-y goodness!! I lust after lasagna. But it’s just not healthy. The meat has fat, the cheese, has fat, and if you’re one of those that doesn’t do the carb thing, then there’s the noodles to contend with. The only healthy thing? The sauce. That’s it.

I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about this before, but when I was growing up, they referred to me as Garfield. Ya know. The lasagna loving cat? I even had a stuffed Pookie doll. I loved lasagna THAT much. My mother would always ask, “What do you want for your birthday dinner,” knowing full good and well what the answer was. At least until I hit my teenage years, I think…

Then it probably switched to fettuccine Alfredo. Yeah. Cause that’s healthier!

So, I’m forever looking for a healthier way to make lasagna. I know. There are those that say, “Just don’t eat it often and eat small amounts when you do.” And don’t you think I do that? Lasagna is not all that fun to make and not something you can whip up on a weeknight unless there’s some secret I’m not privy to… Is there? IS THERE?

Anyway.

The concept here is to intensely flavor those small amounts of ingredients you DO use and to substitute some items are that are lower in fat. Cause that’s what we do here at AKHA; lower the fat. So, instead of using a jarred sauce, which is flavorful none-the-less, I roasted the canned whole tomatoes along with two large fresh tomatoes.

I’m stealing this idea from an Alton Brown marinara sauce recipe where he roasts the tomatoes first. I added fresh tomatoes for a little vibrant color and taste. I also hoped to cut some of the sodium from the canned tomatoes. This is the base of the sauce for the meat that lines the bottom layer of the lasagna.

Next, I split the ricotta with cottage cheese. Not just any cottage cheese, but a fat free version. I’ve been using fat free cottage cheese in quite a few sauces and recipes lately; not just as a substitute to ricotta, but as a base substitute for some cheese sauces like Alfredo and cheddar. The pureed cottage cheese acts like a béchamel ready to accept other ingredients to complete the sauce. I know, it sounds weird, but you should try it! People are making that cauliflower sauce; try a cottage cheese sauce!

Any way you look at it, healthier meals are just a matter of swapping out the fatty items for leaner products, cutting your portion size, and eating it all in moderation. But when it looks THIS GOOD how can you do that??

Yield: 8

Healthier Lasagna with Roasted Tomato Sauce

Ditch the heavy, calorie-packed lasagna for this healthier lasagna with roasted tomato sauce. The roasted tomato sauce adds a burst of flavor and freshness to every bite. Your taste buds (and waistline) will thank you.

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Ingredients

• 28 ounces canned plum tomatoes
• 2 large whole plum tomatoes, halved
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided
• 9 whole lasagna noodles
• 1 cup fat free cottage cheese
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 2 cups part-skim mozzarella

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Drain the whole tomatoes, reserving the juices for later. Place the whole, canned tomatoes on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray.
3. Slice the fresh Roma tomatoes in half and place cut side down on the baking sheet.
4. Drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 400 for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes appear dry.
5. Place in a food processor with reserved juices and process until smooth.
6. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute.
7. Crumble beef into pan and cook until browned. Add the tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and simmer, stirring occasionally.
8. Cook the pasta until almost al dente. Drain and rinse with hot water to prevent sticking.
9. Combine the cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and egg substitute in a medium mixing bowl. Add 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning and set aside.
10. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish coated with cooking spray.
11. Arrange 3 noodles on top of the sauce. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the noodles.
12. Top with 2/3 of the beef mixture and three more noodles.
13. Spread the cheese mixture on top of the noodles, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and top with the last 3 noodles.
14. Pour the remaining beef mixture over the noodles and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
15. Bake, covered, at 400 for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
16. Remove cover and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is browned. Cool 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 434Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 81mgSodium 377mgCarbohydrates 31gFiber 3gSugar 5gProtein 34g

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The post Healthier Lasagna with Roasted Tomato Sauce appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

“What’s Surprise Recipe Swap,” you ask?

The SRS (Surprise Recipe Swap) is a wonderful opportunity to meet other bloggers, build blogging friendships and explore others recipes.  It’s also a fun and easy way to add more exposure to your blog – increasing your traffic by getting link backs from others, being mentioned on social media networks, simply finding new followers!

Jutta, of Hungry Little Girl, has a great program for meeting new blogs and bloggers.  It’s also fun to expand your horizons and try new recipes from other bloggers.

This is my first time participating and I was paired up with one of my FAVE bloggers, Jackie Kocurek of Rediscovering Lost Arts From Our Mothers.  She has a great blog full of delicious recipes!  But, when I saw who I was paired with, I KNEW what I was going to make.  You see, I’ve been looking to make a good Italian meat sauce for a few weeks now.

When I was growing up, we had these neighbors up the street who were authentic New York Italians!  She would make this meat that was TO.DIE.FOR!  I just had a hankering for just such a meat sauce!

You see, she would just throw whatever meat she had on hand into a pot with some tomato sauce and just let it simmer….for days.  It was kind of like a sourdough starter?  You know, the kind where you feed it monthly?  Only she fed it daily and weekly.  Whenever she need sauce, she’d just add more meat and more sauce.

So, now you know how bad I was craving some authentic family Meat Sauce.  And this recipe did not disappoint!

Brown the beef and sausage.  I used Shady Brook Farms Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage Links.  We are trying to watch our fat intake.  The ground beef was 88/12, too.

Add the onions and garlic.  Sauté together for 5 minutes or so.

Add the two cans of crushed tomatoes, wine, cheese, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper and sugar.

Heh.  I just thought I’d show you how old these jars of spices are.  The labels are wearing off.  I added 1 tablespoons of Italian Spices and 2 teaspoons of oregano.

Then I set it on the back of the stove and stirred it when I thought about it.  S came home from work and was all, “What’s for dinner?  Smells good!”  Heh.  It’s actually for dinner tonight.  It was SUPPOSED to be for dinner yesterday, but he worked second shift.  Today is first shift.  Yeah.  A nice long nap before work is always good.  4 hours IS NOT enough for a person to function on, but he’s gonna do his best today.  

How yummy does THAT look??  It was difficult NOT to dip a whole loaf of bread into that pot and just devour it.

BUT I had to wait, because I was taking this delicious sauce and making lasagna with it!

I simmered 2 cups of sauce with 1 pound of ground beef.  I got lazy yesterday and didn’t take as many pics as I usually do.  Cook 9 lasagna noodles, drain and cool slightly.  Combine 1 cup of fat free cottage cheese, 1 cup of fat free ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1 egg white.

Pour 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish and spread to coat.  Lay 3 noodles on top of the sauce.  Top noodles with meat mixture.  Place 3 noodles then top with cheese mixture.  Top with the remaining noodles and 1 cup of sauce.  Sprinkle fat free mozzarella cheese on top (I usually spray the cheese with some cooking spray so that it melts normal) and bake at 350 for an hour.  Allow to cool at least 20 minutes before slicing.  This is where I always FAIL.

I don’t know about you, but I have a SERIOUSLY difficult time waiting for the lasagna to cool before devouring the whole pan cutting a slice to eat.  So, it never looks pretty like it’s supposed to.  LOL

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Homemade Meat Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Recipe by [Rediscovering Lost Arts From Our Mothers|https://rediscovermom.blogspot.com/2012/07/meat-sauce.html]

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Ingredients

• 1 pound ground round
• 1/2 pound ground salsicha
• 56 ounces tomato sauce
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1 whole onion, diced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• To taste: parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Brown the beef and sausage.
2. Add the onions and garlic. Saute together for 5 minutes or so.
3. Add the two cans of crushed tomatoes, wine, cheese, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper and sugar.
4. Let that simmer for 30 minutes or so.
5. Add the rest of the sauce and cook it all day. The longer it cooks, the better it is.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 364Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 61mgSodium 1516mgCarbohydrates 36gFiber 5gSugar 25gProtein 24g

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The post Homemade Meat Sauce appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

Yes, it’s only 6 pictures.  I don’t have the attention span today to find the website that created the last one.  LOL  You see, S and I took a long hike today.  Well “long” is a relative word.  Long-ish for us.  We’re not the best of hikers cause I have crap-tastic feet…and knees.  

These usually happen on Saturday’s, but he was called in for a brief stint that would have been longer, but he conned someone into filling in the rest of the shift he was filling in for.  He’s so resourceful.  I wrote the post this week if you want to read about our hiking mis-adventures.

Pantry cleaning is going well.  Except for the baking part, I think I will have the pantry pretty cleaned out before we move at the end of April.  The freezer, well that’s a different story.  I’m addicted to marked down meat.  It’s just too easy to purchase and throw in the freezer to do something with later.  S was victim to that this weekend.  He went with me.  He doesn’t usually go with me.  He’s usually doing the laundry when I go grocery shopping.  He found the flat-iron steaks and decided we should purchase them to make something with later.  No clue what yet, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something.

And speaking of which, the menu looks like this:

Sunday – Mock-sagna
Monday – Artichoke and Olive Bruschetta Chicken with fettucine
Tuesday – Shrimp Caesar
Wednesday – Macaroni and Cheese with Hot Dogs
Thursday – Hot Hamburger
Saturday – Cheddar Chicken Chowder

This is not how the pantry gets full, thankfully.  But it is how the freezer gets fulled up.  One or two packages on top of what you’re planning on purchasing anyway and well, you have a months worth of meat in the freezer.  It’s a mindless thing that I don’t really pay attention to.  That’s how it gets so full.  I need to be more mindful when I’m making the menu and inventory both pantry and freezer to use what we have before just buying more.  BUT *I* am lazy.

*I* am also too tired to make lasagna.  I mean, it’s lazy lasagna at that.  Yeah.  Too lazy to make that today, but I wanted lasagna today.  So, I thought we’d throw together a Mock-sagna.  What’s mock-sagna?  Well, it’s a wanna be lasagna, but without all the structure of real lasagna.

I started with about a pound of ground beef and browned it with some onions and garlic.  Then we drained it and added the spaghetti sauce and pureed tomatoes.  While all this was going on, we started to cook the no yolk noodles.  While they were cooking, we simmered the beef with the sauce.

Once the noodles were cooked, we drained them and let them set a minute.  We added 2/3 cup each of fat free cottage cheese and fat free ricotta to the meat mixture.

Um…yeah.  I coulda face planted in the pot at this point, but I didn’t….cause it gets better.  We poured it into a casserole dish coated with cooking spray and topped it with 1 cup of part-skim mozzarella cheese

and baked it for about 20 minutes or until the cheese was bubbly and melted.  I was baking a cake at the same time, so it was a whirl wind of activity in the kitchen at that time.  LOL  That’s a teaser for later.  

This came together quickly and it was yummy.  It had all the flavors of lasagna without the time consuming assembly.  It doesn’t REPLACE lasagna, but it was perfect for our tired hineys to through together without messing up the pantry cooking menu.

Yield: 6

Mock-sagna

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

I wanted lasagna but I was tired. So, I threw together a Mock-sagna.  What’s mock-sagna?  Well, it’s a wanna be lasagna, but without all the structure of real lasagna.

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Ingredients

• 8 ounces egg noodles
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 28 ounces spaghetti sauce
• 8 ounces canned pureed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 2/3 cup cottage cheese, fat free
• 2/3 cup ricotta cheese, low fat
• 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions; omitting salt and oil.
3. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Crumble the ground beef and cook about 4 minutes.
4. Add onion and garlic to pan. Continue to cook until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain in a colander. Return to pan.
5. Add the spaghetti sauce and pureed tomatoes to the ground beef mixture. Simmer 10-12 minutes.
6. Add the cottage cheese and ricotta cheese to the ground beef mixture. Add the cooked noodles and stir until combined.
7. Pour into a 9x12 casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Top with the mozzarella cheese.
8. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
9. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 445Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 94mgSodium 1503mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 5gSugar 10gProtein 36g

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The post Mock-sagna appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.

Mushroom Lasagna

The post Mushroom Lasagna appeared first on Bring Gourmet to your Every Day - A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures.