Foodie Friday - Lasagna

Foodie Friday is such a wonderful day of sharing fun recipes - hard on the diet though - oh well! Thanks Gollum at "Designs by Gollum" for hosting this every week -- I really look forward to it.



I guess everybody sort of has a "signature" dish. The one that gets requested at family gatherings. Mine is lasagna. This is what my son-in-law requested for his "cowboy" birthday and it's what I make for Christmas. I realize that usually the recipes I share and the quick and easy ones -- this one is not, but well worth the time and effort to make - I've tried several lasagna recipes, but we think that this one is the best by far.

Spinach Lasagna with Italian Sausage

1 pk. Italian sausage (I like the kind that is ground - it's usually a bit over a pound)
1 onion sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. olive oil
2 (15 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can italian diced tomatoes
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
2 (4 ox) cans tomato paste
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1.2 tsp ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

Cheese filling:
1 - 16 oz container ricotta cheese or small curd cottage cheese
1 egg
1 - 10 oz package frozen spinach, cooked and drained well
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Topping:
3 cups mozarella cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

cooked lasagna noodles, enough to make 3 layers in 13x9 baking dish.

The sauce can be made in a crock-pot

simmer onions and garlic in olive oil until clear.

Cook Italian sausage in separate pan on stove and drain. Once onions are cooked, add tomatoes, tomato paste and sauce, oregano, parsley, basil, salt, pepper, bay leaf and cooked Italian sausage. Stir until mixed.

to prepare filling:

add ricotta/cottage cheese, cooked drained spinach, parsley, egg, basil, pepper and parmesan cheese in bowl and mix well.

When ready to prepare lasagna:

Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sauce in bottom of 13X9 baking dish. cover with noodles. Cover noodles with 1/2 of the filling mixture and top with 1 cup of mozarella cheese.

Add 1 cup sauce. Repeat one more time. Add another layer of noodles, *remaining sauce and top with 1/4 cup extra parmesan cheese and the remaining mozerella cheese.
(*if you run short of meat sauce top with some tomato paste and sauce mixed together - most recipes don't call for sauce at this point, but this keeps the noodles soft)

Bake at 350 degrees covered with foil for 40 minutes.

Uncover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until cheese is lightly brown.

This is really good and so worth the time - trust me! What's your "signature" dish?

We're not having lasagna for the 4th -- I'm trying out a new recipe for Blackberry Wine Cake -- hopefully, I'll share that next "Foodie Friday" - be sure to check out what everybody else is cooking up over at "Designs By Gollum"

'til then --
See ya!