Lasagna Turned Spaghetti

I've made several different lasagna recipes over the past few years. I'm not sure why, b/c I 've always loved my mother's lasagna, and I've had the recipe. I guess I just need to have my own lasagna adventure. I think I wanted to find a good lasagna recipe that was EASY, but in reality, this doesn't exist. GOOD lasagna takes at least a little bit of work. So, a couple weeks ago I made my mom's lasagna for the first time in a while, and I don't think I'll be making anything else from now on. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1- 28 oz can diced or whole tomatoes (I prefer diced)
1- 12 oz can tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano leaves
1/2 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder, or one clove, minced
1 bay leaf
~14 lasagna noodles (a couple extra in case they break)
2 eggs
15 or 16 oz ricotta cheese
16 oz mozzarella cheese, diced or shredded

Directions:
About 2 1/2 hours prior to serving:
In a 5 quart dutch oven over med-high heat, cook ground beef and onion until all pan juices evaporate and beef is well browned, stirring frequently.
Add tomatoes and their liquid and next 8 ingredients, and heat to boiling, stirring to break up tomatoes.
Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer meat sauce 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf and skim any fat off of the sauce.
Prepare lasagna noodles as directed on box and drain. (Or do what I do and buy the "no boil" ones, they work great!)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a 13x9" baking dish, arrange 1/3 of the noodles. Combine eggs and ricotta cheese and spoon 1/3 of it over noodles. Top with 1/3 of sauce and 1/3 of cheese. Repeat these steps two more times.
Bake lasagna 45 mins or until heated through. Remove from oven and let stand 10 mins prior to serving.


After I made the lasagna, I had a little bit of the meat sauce left over, and as I was eating it, I was thinking it would be a great spaghetti sauce. So, I made it as a marinara sauce by taking out the meat (duh), using a 28 oz can of tomato sauce instead of whole or diced tomatoes and adding a 1/2 cup of water. I let it simmer about 6 hours, and served it over spaghetti with the meatballs from my previous post. I also made bread from scratch for the first time, and here is the recipe for that:

Kalamata Olive and Garlic Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon non-iodized salt
• 3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup seedless Kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal

1. In a medium bowl dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. To proof yeast, stir in yeast and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes in a warm place.
2. Preheat oven to 105 degree F (40 degrees C). Warm an oven-safe bowl in the oven.
3. Place flour in bowl of food processor. Add salt and pulse for a few seconds.
4. Start food processor. Pour proofed yeast into flour through hole. Immediately add the additional 3/4 cup warm water, then the olive oil. Process for about 1 minute or until dough ball cleans the sides of the processor bowl. If dough is too wet add a little flour through the top while processing, or if too dry, add a little more water.
5. Turn off food processor. Remove lid and transfer dough to the heated bowl. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap.
6. Let rise for 1/2 hour in a warm place.
7. In a small bowl, combine minced garlic and chopped olives. Set aside.
8. Once dough has risen transfer dough to a lightly floured board. Make an indentation in the dough and place olive mixture inside. Knead dough 10 times. Bulk of mixture should remain in middle of dough. Form dough into a log or round loaf shape.
9. Sprinkle cornmeal onto greased baking sheet and place loaf on top. Turn oven to 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) for 2 minutes and then turn off.
10. Let dough rise in warm oven for 1/2 hour, or until light and puffy. Remove loaf and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
11. Bake bread at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

I've made the bread twice now, and it really is fantastic, and EASY, although it does take time with all the rising and whatnot!

On another note, I had a 3 pound pack of ground beef for the balls, and we had dinner guests cancel as I was making them. So, I froze 2/3's of them, which I'm excited about b/c it will make for an easy dinner down the road!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I'm not Italian, but I do think I make a pretty good marinara sauce! This is my first time making meatballs like this- it's a modified version of a recipe from cooksillustrated.com.

Sauce:

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.
2 15 ounce cans unseasoned tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large sweet onion, minced
handful of fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt, if desired/needed

Directions:

In a large sauce pan, or dutch oven, heat olive oil. Add onions and saute until just soft. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper. Heat on medium heat about 10 mins. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for at least an hour, but the longer it simmer, the more the flavors meld and the better it tastes!

Meatballs

Ingredients:

1/2	cup breadcrumbs (I used italian seasoned)
1/2	cup sour cream (can't get this thing to stop underlining!)
1/4	cup fresh parsley leaves , chopped
2	medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1	large egg yolk
1/2	teaspoon table salt (I did not add salt b/c I used the seasoned bread crumbs)
1/4	teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1	pound ground beef
1	ounce parmesan or Romano cheese , grated (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands. Shape into 12-16 balls, per your size preference. Bake on a cookie sheet for 20 mins.


About 20 mins before you want to eat, add the meatballs to the sauce, and increase heat to med/low. Continue cooking til meatballs are cooked through.

The result: YUMMY! These were quite possibly the best meatballs I've ever had! I decided to use sour cream b/c the recipe called for buttermilk, and I didn't have any. I used light sour cream. They were so moist and delish. The sauce was tasty, as usual. Next, I think I want to try making my own pasta, to complete the "home made" dish.

"Fabulous White Trash Recipe"

My sister in law, Jen, sent me this recipe, and this is my first time making it. It didn't have a title, other than what's above. I guess from looking at the recipe, I'd call it taco lasagna or taco casserole. Today is a "gym day" for me (I go to a class at 445, and my hubby gets dinner ready), so he'll get to pop this in the oven, and we'll have it with salad.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Campbell's Condensed Tomato Soup
1 cup Pace thick & chunky salsa
1/2 cup milk
6 flour tortillas or 8 corn tortillas (6-8 inch) cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
In skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef until browned, stirring to
separate meat. Pour off fat

Add soup, salsa, milk, tortillas and HALF the cheese. Spoon into 2 quart
shallow baking dish. COVER.
Bake at 400 for 30 min or until hot. Sprinkle w/ remaining cheese.

The result: I forgot to take a picture, but as my hubby said, "it wasn't pretty". But that says nothing for how it tasted. It was really good! It was kind of a disassembled burrito or enchilada. I wondered if the tomato soup would make it too sweet, but it didn't. I did use colby/jack cheese instead of cheddar b/c it was what I had in the fridge. I know I said earlier that I'd call it "taco" something, but having tasted it, I wouldn't. It didn't have any taco seasonings in it. This is a good one for kids b/c the flavors were pretty mild. My son kept saying the tortilla pieces were chicken, and although it took some encouragement, he ate quite a bit of it.

"Rempel Family Meatloaf"

I get a lot of my recipes off of Allrecipes.com. I HIGHLY recommend it. I definitely believe in giving credit where it's due...and this is from their website. If I make a bunch of changes to the recipe before posting it, I consider it "my own". Anyway, this is the first time I've made this specific meatloaf.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons steak sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Stir the ground beef, crushed crackers, Cheddar cheese, and onion soup mix in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk the eggs, ketchup, and steak sauce in a separate bowl until smooth. Mix the eggs into the meat until evenly combined, if the mixture seems too dry, add a little water. Press into a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven until the meatloaf reaches 160 degrees F (71 degrees C) and is no longer pink in the center, 45 to 60 minutes.

The result... This meatloaf is definitely a keeper. I used 97% lean hamburger, so it wasn't exceptionally juicy. It was dense and flavorful. It didn't have the ketchupy taste that many meatloafs had, and it held together very well. I cook my meatloaf in a small casserole dish, and shape it into a loaf. I do this b/c the fat then goes to the sides, and I can spoon it off much easier than if it was in a loaf pan. When I make it again, I don't think I'll make any changes. I did take some pics, and I'll post them later. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and a green salad.

This pic definitely has the salad looking like the most appetizing thing! What an UNcolorful meal I made!!! Oh well!

A note on mashed potatoes....I have yet to find a way to make them taste good, but be lower fat (use less butter) Anyone have any secrets??