Hubby loves this recipe. It’s the cream cheese that really does it for him.
1/2 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 T sugar (optional)
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 c cottage cheese
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
1/4 c sour cream
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
oregano
parsley flakes
Lasagna noodles
Brown ground beef with onion, drain fat. Stir in spaghetti sauce and sugar. Combine ricotta, cottage, parmesan, and cream cheeses, sour cream, and 1 cup mozzarella. Add oregano and parsley flakes. Boil lasagna noodles according to package directions. Reserve some mozzarella (about 1/4 c) to sprinkle on top of lasagna. In baking pan make the following layers: sauce, noodles, sauce, cheese mixture, noodles, sauce, cheese mixture, remaining mozzarella, noddles, sauce. Preheat oven to 350, bake covered for 50-60 minutes. Uncover, top with reserved mozzarella cheese, and bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
To freeze: Do not boil the noodles. Prepare as directed above. Cover with extra heavy foil, label with baking directions (write on the foil with a sharpie). Place reserved mozzarella in a ziploc sandwich bag and tape to the top of the lasagna.
To serve: Thaw (give it a couple of days in the fridge). Bake covered at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Uncover, top with the reserved cheese, and bake 10 minutes longer. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. To bake from frozen, increase bake time by about 50% (about 90 minutes).
*It saves on clean-up to combine the cheeses in a 1-gallon ziploc bag. Then you can just snip the corner and squeeze it on!
*I like to undercook my noodles for by a minute or two so they stay firm.
