Wonderful Wednesday Wrecipes

I love lasagna, but not all the time consuming steps, nor the mass quantities the end result produces. Being cheap, wanting lasagna fast on a weeknight, but only having me, myself & I to eat it, I devised this “method”:

Lasagna for 2  

• 1 box of “No-Boil” lasagna noodles
• 15 oz tub of ricotta
• 1 egg
• 1- 8 oz package shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
• 3 fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 jar –24 oz.- favorite spaghetti sauce (or use 3 cups of your own)
• 1/2 lb. ground beef or bulk sausage –OPTIONAL

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9” x 5” loaf pan with vegetable spray and set aside.
2. Brown meat in sauté pan if using, drain excess fat, stir in spaghetti sauce. Or just open the jar & away we go!
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk egg then combine with ricotta, half the package of mozzarella, the parmesan, parsley & basil, salt & pepper. 
4. Spoon a thin layer of sauce in bottom of loaf pan. Top with one dry, uncooked noodle. Top with one quarter of the cheese mixture. Spoon about 1/4 cup more sauce on top of cheese, then a noodle, and so on. Gently press noodle into preceding layer of sauce. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with a noodle just topped with sauce.    See! The No-Boil noodles fit perfectly! They expand during the cooking process.
5. Sprinkle this with about 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cover pan with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until bubbly.    
6. Remove foil, and continue to bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until cheese get lightly browned.
7. Remove; cool for 10 minutes and serve. Makes 4 servings (2 meals for 2).  

I don’t know about you, but I can never get that first slice out!

By all means use your favorite sauce- either homemade or otherwise; generally I’d prefer a meat sauce but I already had a sink full of dishes to wash and I didn’t want to add to them. This is a perfect amount: I get to eat lasagna for a day or two or three until my cravings are satiated, and then its gone! Or, I’ll have a serving, and tomorrow when I get up D.B will have finished for me- either way, I can’t lose!