Lasagna
Growing up I was never a fan of lasagna, but just because I was not a fan does not mean that I would not try it years later. Well, years have passed and to my surprise I find myself enjoying lasagna. Not loving it, but enjoying it. The creamy texture of the cheese combined with well-seasoned ground beef is something everyone should enjoy and for that I’ve decided to post this recipe today.
What’s not to love about mozzarella, ground beef, and classic Italian flavors? Well, one variation of this dish is to incorporate cooked plantains into the layering. My strong dislike for plantains has convinced my mother that I am not a true Puerto Rican, especially since all my friends love the sweet taste that plantains add. I cannot explain why I do not like them, but it led to many nights where I was not allowed to leave the kitchen table until all my food was eaten!
However, no matter how you make your lasagna, be it with plantains, various cheeses or vegetarian (no meat, but instead with cooked spinach or kale) nothing goes better with lasagna than salad. To take it a step further, nothing beats a homemade salad dressing, which is so easy make perhaps I’ll post a few real soon. Additionally, nothing brings together any pasta dish than bread. I am a fan of wheat rolls, but Kiley bakes one mean honey yeast roll that is to die for…I’ll have to convince her to make some more!
If you are looking for a meal that needs to be ready in an hour and a half, then this dish is definitely for you. After prepping and the initial cooking it will take between 45 minutes to an hour to have this dish fully baked, which is perfect for people who are looking to start cooking while having time to do something a little extra before eating, such as cleaning the house for guests, or for people who know they’ll be hungry “later”, but are in the mood to cook now and not as they feel starved later. Another plus is that this meal yields such a great quantity that you will be sure to have left overs, which is great for me because this meal will be my lunch for work for days to come. I may or may not be eating some as I type this post…
With each new meal that I make I like to take away something from the cooking process (please don’t judge me for never making this before!). Something I learned while making lasagna that I would like to impart onto you all is that multitasking will help cut down the cooking process. If you wait for the pasta, or meat, to finish before starting the next food item this meal will take more time than needed to be finished. Do not worry if you are not a good multitasker, this meal is pretty hard to mess up. Just be sure to have multiple pots/pans going at the same time to have everything finishing up at the same time.
I’ll leave you with one final thought: The best way to improve doing what you love is to try doing other things and incorporate what you learn from doing the “other” into what you love. So, be sure to try cooking many different dishes because you will never know which dish will be the dish that teaches you how to improve making your favorite ones.
Lasagna
Ingredients
2 cups mozzarella/provolone shredded cheese
16 oz ricotta
1 tablespoon garlic
Italian Spices (oregano, parsley, salt, etc)
½ cup Skim Milk
Lasagna noodles
1.5 lbs ground beef
Directions
1. In a large pot, cook the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, cook beef in a skillet until browned and cooked through. Add salt and pepper to season.
3. Once the beef is cooked, drain the fat and add the sauce.
4. Mix together mozzarella/provolone, ricotta, garlic, Italian spices and skim milk in a large bowl.
5. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F while you prepare the lasagna. Ina 9x13 pan, layer the pasta, beef/sauce, and finally the cheese. Repeat this process twice. Finish with a layer of pasta on top, and sprinkle with cheese.
6. Cover the lasagna dish with aluminum and bake for 45 minutes.
7. After 45 minutes, remove the aluminum foil from the pan and bake an additional 15 minutes, until the cheese has all melted and is bubbling.
8. Serve and Enjoy!
Posted on 6/15/14 by Efrain