CHEESE LASAGNA THAT MEAT-LOVERS WILL LOVE

CHEESE LASAGNA THAT MEAT-LOVERS WILL LOVE image

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 16oz. pkg. dry lasagna noodles
1 2lb. jar prepared spaghetti sauce
2 8oz. pkgs. shredded Italian cheese blend containing mozzarella, provolone, romano, asiago, and parmesan cheeses.
2 15oz. containers of original ricotta cheese or low-moisture part skim ricotta cheese
1 8oz. container of grated parmesan romano blend cheese
Italian seasoning
garlic powder
fresh ground pepper
salt
canola oil

Steps:

Fill a large pot with water. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add 1 Tbsp. oil to prevent the lasagna noodles from sticking and salt. Add noodles to the water one at a time. Cook according to package directions. Do not overcook. The noodles are done when al dente. While the noodles are cooking, empty both containers of ricotta cheese into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1-1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning. Mix well to distribute seasonings evenly. Add 1 cup parmesan-romano blend cheese to the ricotta cheese. Mix well. Make sure there are no clumps of parmesan-romano in the mixture. Add 1-1/2 bags of the shredded cheese blend to the ricotta mixture. Stir until blended. This will be a very thick. You only need to stir until the shredded cheese is distributed throughout the mixture. Reserve the remaining 1/2 bag of shredded cheese for topping the lasagna. Drain noodles. Do NOT rinse! To keep the noodles from sticking together, shake the colander gently until steam no longer rises from the noodles. In the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch glass pan place 3-4 Tbsp. of spaghetti sauce. Spread this evenly across the bottom of the pan. Place 3 noodles on the bottom of the pan, side by side. Spoon 4-5 Tbsp. of sauce over the noodles. Spread 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the sauce. Repeat these steps two more times and finish by placing a fourth layer of noodles on the top. Spoon the remaining sauce on top of the final layer of noodles. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 bag of shredded cheese blend on top of the sauce. Finish by sprinkling the top with Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling around the edges and cheese on top is just beginning to golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.