Shaker Gourmet

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A friend asked for my lasagna recipe, after I posted a photo of the lasagna I made for dinner last night, so, since I typed it all out to send to him, I figured I'd share it here, too!

One box of no-boil lasagna noodles
One package of low-fat ground beef
One small white onion, diced
One 4-8 oz package of baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
One 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
Half-cup grated parmesan cheese
At least two cups of shredded parmesan
At least one cup of shredded mozzarella
One egg
Three cloves of minced garlic
One 14.5 oz can of crushed tomatoes
One 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
Red cooking wine
Two tablespoons of olive oil
Three tablespoons of oregano
One tablespoon of basil
One tablespoon of red pepper (ground, not flakes)
Two tablespoons of parsley
Salt and black pepper
Cooking spray
9 x 13 casserole dish
Tin foil


Preheat oven to 375.

On stovetop, heat olive oil in a dutch oven. Add diced onion and sliced mushrooms. (If the mushrooms soak up all the olive oil, add a little bit more.) Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Cook just until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms start to give off that delicious nutty smell, but still retain some of their texture. Set aside.

In the same pot, without cleaning, add ground beef. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and one tablespoon of oregano. Cook through. Drain and set aside. Remove excess oil from pot.

In the same pot, add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, garlic, grated parmesan cheese, remaining oregano, basil, red pepper, and red wine to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add onions, mushrooms, and ground beef. Let simmer during next step.

(I use about a cup of red wine. The red wine is not necessary, btw, and the sauce will taste fine without it, if you prefer or have a guest who must avoid alcohol. Also: Keep tasting the sauce. Add more spice to suit your taste, if necessary. If it's too sweet, add more salt. If it needs a kick, add more red pepper. I use more spice than I suggest for the recipe, but that's a good starting point.)

Break egg into medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk. Add ricotta cheese, one cup of shredded parmesan, and parsley. Mix thoroughly.

Remove sauce from heat. Prepare casserole dish with cooking spray.

Lay a thin layer of sauce liquid (no chunky bits) on the bottom of the casserole dish. Lay three no-boil noodles. Cover with 1/3 of the sauce. Cover with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Lay three more noodles. Cover with 1/3 of the sauce. Cover with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Lay three more noodles. Cover with half-cup of shredded parmesan. Cover with remainder of sauce. Cover with remaining shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Cover with tinfoil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove tin foil. Bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Enjoy!