Lasagna

I'm astounded that we haven't posted a lasagna recipe yet, given that it's one of our favorites and something that I've made more times than just about anything else (aside from scrambled eggs and smoothies) in my cooking/baking/kitchen-semi-savvy lifetime. I usually make it pretty much the same way, although once in awhile, I'll switch it up a bit. This time, I put ground meat (beef) into half of it, since I know Kyle grew up with meat lasagna and prefers it, and I like to have the option between the 2 (Note: I would never make the meat lasagna if my sister and her husband- who both keep kosher- came over for dinner. Check out kosher dietary laws here to find out why). So here's the lasagna recipe that I follow- 10 minute prep and no boiling pasta, and I don't think it's lacking in any way:

2 containers (15 oz. each) ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (about 8 oz.)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 jars (26 oz. each) pasta sauce (I usually use Prego, which is funny because the recipe that I have in my kitchen is a copy of a Ragu sauce ad I found in a magazine when I was about 12)
12 uncooked lasagna noodles (I usually get the oven-ready kind)
**optional: basil, garlic, oregano, rosemary, parsley, thyme, etc. (I actually have a seasoning blend called Mrs. Dash- Italian Medley- which I love!)

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/4 cup Parmesan and eggs
2. In a 13x9" baking dish or pan, spread 1 cup of sauce. Layer 4 uncooked noodles, 1 cup of sauce, and 1/2 of the ricotta mixture.
3. Repeat step 2.
4. Top with 4 uncooked noodles and 2 cups of sauce. Reserve remaining sauce; heat and serve with lasagna.
5. Cover with foil; bake 1 hour. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake uncovered 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

We served our recent lasagna with garlic bread (which I'd love to say I made myself, but I actually bought it at Giant- already spread with garlic butter- and it was just perfect). If we'd waited a little longer to serve it, it might not have fallen apart like the piece in the picture, but the good thing about lasagna is it doesn't have to look perfect- it just has to taste good...and somehow, it always does.

Happy layering!