Beef Lasagne

It may be just the time of year, but I love what I call "comfort food" in the colder months here in Nova Scotia.  I told my friend that and she asks "what is comfort food?"  What she never heard of comfort food!  She asked "Is it one pot dishes?"  Man I hate hard questions, haha.  I say, "well I guess you can look at it that way".  To me a comfort food is food like lasagne, stews, casseroles, things you don't normally cook in the summer.  Lasagne is so easy, so if I can do it anyone can.  I like to make something big enough once a week at least so we can have leftovers.  So here goes:

Start with lean hamburger, fry with onion, garlic (if you want), salt & pepper.  Drain fat, put back in fry pan (my cast iron one, of course), and to this add: 1 bottle of pasta sauce (flavor of choice), 1 small can of tomato paste & then fill the tomato paste can up with water and add. It says 28 oz of pasta sauce, but this bottle wasn't quite 28 oz so I just added some tomato sauce so I would have enough.  The tomato paste is 5 1/2 oz. Slowly simmer for 20 minutes.

 You know a good recipe when it looks like this.  I could rewrite it, but I like it this way.

 This is what I chose to use this time, use what ever you want, anything goes.  I prefer to cook my lasagna instead of the oven ready, I just like working with it better.  I cook between 9 and 12 noodles.

                                               This is the simmer part.

I like to boil the noodles ahead, then put in a strainer to cool enough to handle. So when the sauce is done it is ready.   

 While everything is cooking, get your things together.  1 container of cottage cheese, I get the lasagna style one.  Add 2 eggs to the cottage cheese in a bowl and stir together.  Set aside.  Grate the Mozzarella, I used about 3/4 of the big block (I like lots of cheese, as per the phrase "comfort food"), I used the last 1/4 on the garlic toast.  And finally the parmesan to sprinkle on top.

Now to start putting it together.  Put just enough sauce on the bottom to prevent sticking.

 

I ended up using 9 noodles for this one.  So lay 3 noodles on the sauce.

 

Add enough meat sauce to cover.  Remember you have to have enough for another layer and enough to cover the top.

 

Add half of the cottage cheese mixture.

 

I add a nice layer of cheese. Make sure the sauce covers the noodles, so they won't dry out. Repeat this again.  More noodles, meat sauce, cottage cheese, mozza cheese.

 

For the top, add the last 3 noodles.

 

There is lots of sauce when you only use 9 noodles.

 

I didn't put as much cheese on the top, but that is personal choice.

 

Top with parmesan, as much as you like. Put in the oven, preheated to 350 degrees.  Cook for 30 minutes, let sit for 10.

 

You could have whatever you want with it, but I chose to just enjoy the lasagna and garlic toast.  The fancy folk might say "Bonne Petite" we here in Nova Scotia would say "Supper is ready, lets eat!"