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Wine-Tasting Lasagna
Bake: 55 mins at 350°F
Stand: 15 mins
Ingredients
- 9 dried lasagna noodles
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1/2 pound lean ground beef or ground pork
- 1/2 pound bulk hot Italian sausage or bulk pork sausage
- 1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (1 medium)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (6 cloves)
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree
- 1/2 6 ounce can tomato paste (1/3 cup)
- 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
- 1 egg
- 1 cup light ricotta cheese
- 1 cup 2% or 4% cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
- 2 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (11 ounces)
Directions
1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, except omit any oil or salt; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again. Place noodles in a single layer on a sheet of foil; set aside. Lightly coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
2. For meat sauce:In a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven, cook and stir beef, sausage, onion, carrot and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is browned. Drain off fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes in puree, tomato paste, brown sugar, oregano and bay leaf. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in fresh basil. Remove bay leaf; discard. Set sauce aside.
3. For filling:In a medium bowl, combine egg, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Stir in spinach.
4. To assemble, spread 1/2 cup of the sauce evenly in the bottom of prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles in the dish. Spread with half of the filling. Top with 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Top with half of the remaining sauce, spreading to evenly cover cheese. Top with 3 more noodles, remaining filling, and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles and sauce.
5. Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes more or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
