Lasagna is one of those dishes that sounds difficult even though it’s not. This version is particularly easy to put together because we use no-boil noodles (which are a little thinner than the normal kind) and jarred sauce, and it’s still excellent. If you like your lasagna a little spicier, you can use hot Italian sausage. Just serve this with some warm bread and you’re there.

　　

Ingredients

serves 10 to 12

　　1 onion

　　2 cloves garlic

　　1 pound ground beef

　　Salt and pepper

　　1 (1 pound 10-ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce

　　1 (9-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles

　　32 ounces ricotta cheese

　　1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

　　

Step 1

Peel the onion and chop into 1/4-inch pieces. Peel the garlic and finely chop.

　　

Step 2

Place the ground beef in a large sauté pan with the onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 10 to 12 minutes, until cooked through. Drain off any fat, season with salt and pepper, and add the garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the spaghetti sauce.

　　

Step 3

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 4

Spread a little of the sauce around the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Arrange 4 noodles down the center of the pan. (They won’t go all the way to the sides of the pan, but they will expand as they cook and fill in the edges.) Spread one third of the sauce over the noodles and top with half of the ricotta cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese. Continue the layering with noodles, another third of the sauce, the rest of the ricotta, more noodles, and cover with the remaining sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. (The lasagna can be refrigerated for up to 1 day before baking.) Bake for 1 hour. Remove the aluminum foil, sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese, and bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

　　

Step 5

Cut into 12 squares and serve warm.

　　

VEG OUT

Step 6

This is an easy recipe to adjust for vegetarians. You can just leave out the meat, substitute zucchini for the ground beef, or add layers of spinach over the sauce. There are many more variations, but you get the idea.

　　College Cooking