Everyone needs a good lasagna recipe, because really, who doesn’t like lasagna? I’ve tried various recipes over the years but have settled on a slight variation of Pioneer Woman’s Best Ever Lasagna from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl
*Cottage Cheese is missing from photo
- 1 box Oven Ready lasagna noodles
- 4 Cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1½ lbs ground beef
- 1 lb mild sausage
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 - 28 oz can whole tomatoes
- 2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste
- ½ tsp salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 4 Tbsp dried parsley
- 2 Tbsp dried basil
- 3 Cups Cottage Cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the ground beef, sausage and garlic until cooked through
- Drain off the excess fat
- Stir in 2 Tbsp parsley and 2 Tbsp basil
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and freshly ground black pepper
- Stir together well, simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally
- In a medium bowl combine the cottage cheese, eggs, ½ Cup of the Parmesan cheese and 2 Tbsp parsley
- Stir together well
- Layer 4 noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 pan
- Spoon half of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles
- Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese on top of the cottage cheese mixture
- Spoon just under half of the meat mixture on top of the mozzarella
- Spread evenly being careful not to disturb the layers
- Repeat the layers, beginning with noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella, and ending with a thick layer of meat sauce
- Sprinkle the remaining ½ Cup Parmesan over the top
- Bake for 45 minutes until the lasagna is hot and bubbly
- Allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares
- * Lasagna can be frozen, unbaked
Typically if I am going to go to the bother of making a lasagna, I make two at the same time. One for a friend, or simply one for the freezer. It doesn’t take you twice as long to make 2 lasagna’s, it just requires a few more ingredients. I buy a large club pack of ground beef and a use 4-5 sausages. If you are making two, use a deep pot rather than a skillet which will give you the room for added tomatoes, paste, etc. Having an extra lasagna in the freezer is like having gold in there…at least to me. 😉
I often serve this with garlic bread and a Caesar Salad. A perfect Sunday dinner or a hearty pasta meal for the athlete in your life before a big game. You can’t go wrong with a Pioneer Woman recipe and you can’t go wrong with lasagna. You need Pioneer Woman’s Lasagna in your life…or I do anyway. 😉
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OMG, this looks delicious!
What is your variation Jennifer?
I think the only variation in this one is the use of dried herbs as opposed to fresh. In her cookbook she has fresh basil, etc listed, but on the website, I think it is dried herbs. That’s all. 🙂
Pioneer Woman’s website recipe says to use Hot Breakfast sausage. Yours says to use mild sausage, which I think would be more appealing to my family.
I’m going to make it this week-end.
Thank you.
Nancy Wilson
Yes…I use mild. 🙂