About a year ago, I found a recipe on Money Saving Mom that looked good. I love casseroles and anything Italian. And I really love this recipe although I have changed a few things to make it more to my taste. I needed a little more of an Italian taste, so I added some garlic and spices. Also the Touch of Philly shredded mozzarella gives everything a creaminess that is just amazing. And I always add veggies of some sort to my lasagna and adding either kale or spinach is a great way to almost hide them from kids or other family members.
Lasagna Casserole
1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage
8 oz. veggie rotini or whole wheat rotini
1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
dried oregano and basil to taste (I typically crumble in a palm full)
1 15 oz. can of Italian spiced diced tomatoes
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups ricotta or cottage cheese
8 oz. touch of Philly mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
2 1/2 oz. kale or spinach
Brown ground beef until cooked through, draining if needed. While meat is cooking, boil noodles according to package directions.
Add garlic to meat mixture, cook till fragrant about 30 seconds. Add spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes and oregano and basil. Allow to come to boil, turn down to simmer and then slowly add kale/spinach until wilted. Set 1/2 cup of mozzarella aside to sprinkle on top of casserole. Combine the rest of the mozzarella, cottage/ricotta cheese, beaten eggs and salt and pepper.
Layer a third of the meat sauce on the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish, then 1/2 of the noodles, then 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat ending with a topping of meat sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes (until bubbly). Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
If you can't wait 10 minutes, as we frequently can't casserole will be a little juicy.
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