Lasagna

This can be made ahead and freezes perfectly!

Lasagna
Serves 4-6 and can easily be doubled for freezing

​Ingredients

• ​1 box of lasagna noodles cooked per box instructions
• 2 lb of ground beef
• 2 jars of spaghetti sauce - I like to use one nicer brand jar like Rao's or Newman's Own and one jar of Publix brand
• 2 - 8 ox bags of shredded mozzarella cheese - I prefer a nicer shred like tillamook or kraft with creamy philadephia blend
• 4 oz (1/2 of a block) cream cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 400°
• Cook lasagna noodles according to box directions in a large pot and rinse under cool water after draining.  To avoid noodles sticking together put them back in a pot of cold water once they are cooled.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook ground beef that has been seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste; drain meat.
• Return meat to cleaned skillet and add in jars of sauce and cubes of cream cheese.
• Cook meat and sauce mixture on low and stir to incorporate cream cheese.
• In a deep casserole dish spray cooking spray in bottom of dish and spread about 1/2 cup of sauce onto bottom
• Begin making layers by shaking excess water off of noodles and laying in bottom of pan, slightly overlapping edge of noodles.
• On top of noodle layer add enough meat sauce to cover noodles, It's ok to see a little of the noodle.
• Next sprinkle mozzarella cheese onto sauce mixture
• Repeat layers until you have used all of the sauce.  You may have noodles leftover, this is when you want to roll one up and dip into the leftover sauce in the pan.  YUM!
• Top final layer with remaining shredded cheese and grated parmesan cheese.
• Spray the underside of a piece of aluminum foil and cover lasagna.  This will help the foil to not stick to the cheese as much.  Gently press down on the foil so that the lasagna layers are a bit more compact and dense.
• Bake covered for 30 minutes and then uncovered until cheese is bubbly and brown.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. 

TIP:  Once cooled off this can be placed in refrigerator for several days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Love,