When I was getting the grocery list together – Larry declared that he wanted lasagna! Sounds easy enough – but then I realized – I’d never made it before! I knew the basics but just hadn’t actually done it. Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho – it’s off to Kroger I go!
I decided like many great recipes – to just start with what’s on the box! It works for Toll House! I went for everything except the white wine…
Pretty simple ingredients: mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta, marinara, noodles, sausage (or hamburger) and olive oil. Apparently – I’m becoming a Kroger loyalist!
It’s simple enough – after cooking the sausage you just start layering – sauce, noodles, cheese mix and meat.
I only have an 8×8 pan – so my lasagna got pretty thick pretty quick. I also didn’t want to make enough for an army since there are just two of us. I wish I had a lunch buddy at work that I could share leftovers with – it would make cooking easier.
I topped with just the plain mozzarella. The package said that the noodles will expand when cooking to fill the pan to the edges.
And sure enough – it did! The one thing with lasagna – it’s impossible to take a picture without it looking a complete mess! But it’s a cheeeeeeeesy mess!
I have to say – the box recipe was pretty darned good!
I did find out that when Larry says “make lasagna” – he left out the fact that (in his mind) all lasagna should be made with HAMBURGER not Italian sausage. I even took the discussion to work and found out that this is something to find out before you make the product. Half the folks said hamburger and the other half sausage – it’s a preference – most likely based on how their moms made it.
Here’s the recipe from Barilla – but cut down to the 8×8 pan:
Barilla(r) 5 Layer Oven-Ready Lasagne
1/2 box Barilla(r) Oven Ready Lasagne noodles
1 jars Barilla(r) Marinara sauce
1 pound lean ground beef or Italian sausage, browned
Salt & pepper to taste
1 15 oz container ricotta cheese
4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. In large skillet, brown the ground beef or sausage until cooked through, season with salt & pepper
3. In a bowl combine ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella and Parmigiano; stir well
4. Spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick cooking spray
5. For the bottom layer pour one cup of sauce and spread evenly
6. Top with 2 sheets of Oven-Ready Lasagne noodles (the sheets will expand during baking)
7. Pour 1/2 cup of sauce and 3/4 of cheese mixture on the first layer, top with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the cooked meat
8. Continue for 3 more layers
9. For the final layer, top with 2 sheets of noodles and pour remaining sauce, top with remaining cheese mixture and mozzarella.
10. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes
11. Once baked, remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before cutting.
