MY MEATBALL LASAGNA

My Meatball Lasagna image

With homemade Italian meatballs and a thick cheese layer and sauce, your mouth will be asking for more. For those who don't favor lasagna, this will definitely change your mind. Trust me.

Provided by Vera!

Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian

Time 1h55m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 21

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Ingredients

4 slices day-old bread
1 cup warm water
¼ cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 eggs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 pounds ground beef
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (12 ounce) package lasagna noodles
1 (24 ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (such as Prego®)
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 (12 ounce) container cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or as needed

Steps:

Soak bread slices in warm water in a bowl for 5 minutes; squeeze bread dry and transfer to a large bowl.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in hot butter until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic to bread. Stir 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning into bread and onions until thoroughly combined. Crumble ground beef into mixture; mix until thoroughly combined. Season with salt and black pepper.
Form ground beef mixture into 1-inch meatballs. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pan-fry meatballs until browned, working in batches if necessary, about 10 minutes, turning often. Set meatballs aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine prepared spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, and Cheddar cheese soup in a bowl. Combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, and parsley in a separate bowl.
Spread 1 cup of sauce mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Layer 1/3 the lasagna noodles over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Arrange meat balls over noodles. Place 1/3 the lasagna noodles over meat balls, and spread with cheese mixture in an even layer. Top cheese layer with remaining 1/3 the lasagna noodles and spread remaining sauce over top layer of noodles. Sprinkle top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
Bake lasagna in the preheated oven until casserole is bubbling and the topping is melted, about 1 hour.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 631.4 calories, Carbohydrate 46.3 g, Cholesterol 164.1 mg, Fat 31.6 g, Fiber 4.5 g, Protein 40.6 g, SaturatedFat 15 g, Sodium 1234.8 mg, Sugar 11.7 g