Pioneer Woman's Best Lasagna Ever

We have a pretty simple and traditional lasagna I usually make, but of course I love to find new variations of old favorites and when I saw this recipe on Pioneer Woman it looked "manly" and I thought for sure the boys would enjoy it and wanted to give it a try! I stuck pretty closely to the original recipe, only using 1 lb instead of 1 1/2 lbs ground beef and using shredded mozzarella instead of slices.

Started with my counter full of ingredients! Cottage cheese, salt, parmesan cheese, basil, eggs, parsley, peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, shredded mozzarella, minced garlic, ground beef, hot sausage and lasagna noodles.

Combined the beef and sausage in the skillet and began cooking over medium heat.

Added the minced garlic to the meat.

Got some water boiling and added about 10 whole wheat noodles to the pot.

When the meat was browned there was quite a bit of grease. The recipe says to spoon out about half of it, but I decided to strain as much as I could out.

I put the meat into a strianer and drained the grease out.

The meat went back into the skillet and the tomatoes were added.

The tomato paste was added too and the whole tomatoes were broken up with the spatula.

Next came the seasonings!

Everything was evenly blended in and then the meat mixture was set to simmer.

While that simmered, I worked on the cheese layer. I whisked the eggs together.

Then added in the cottage cheese and grated parmesan.

That was followed by the seasonings.

I mixed everything together until it was well blended.

When the noodles were ready, I laid five of them along the bottom of a 9x13 dish and smoothed a layer of half the cheesy mixture over top.

This was followed by a generous layer of shredded mozzarella.

Then came half the meat and sauce mixture.

Then repeat with another layer of noodles!
The rest of the cheesy mixture.

More mozzarella, then meat, then sprinkle on some grated parmesan.

I topped mine off with more shredded mozzarella and put it in the oven to bake!

Ooey gooey melty, straight from the oven!
The flavor of this recipe is perfect, wouldn't change it at all! However, even for my carnivore hubby this was way too much meat compared to noodle ratio (and I already cut out 1/2 lb of ground beef compared to the original recipe!) Next time I would make it probably about 1 1/2 lbs of meat (half hot sausage, half hot beef) and add another layer of noodles on top of the meat and finish off with cheese. Hubby said the meat to noodle ratio was just too far off for him compared to how he likes it normally. I like our "usual" recipe because it's easy, but the flavor of this one was MUCH better in my opinion, so I'll tweak a little next time and see if I can get the ratio the way he likes it so we'll all enjoy it! :) (I left ingredients and instructions below the way I prepared it this time around, very close to the original recipe).

Slightly adapted from the Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
1 pound Ground Beef
1 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage
1 TBS minced garlic
2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Lowfat Cottage Cheese
2 whole Beaten Eggs
½ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Salt
1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese (or shredded)
1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles
(add 1/2 Teaspoon Salt And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil To Pasta Water)

Preparation Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain half the fat; less if you’re feeling naughty. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. After adding the tomatoes, the sauce mixture should simmer for 45 minutes while you are working on the other steps.

In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 more tablespoons parsley, and 1 more teaspoon salt. Stir together well. Set aside. Cook lasagna until “al dente” (not overly cooked).

To assemble:
Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top.

Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan.

Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

Comments

  1. I'm always on the lookout for a great lasagne recipe. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the Pioneer Woman! I've only tried a few of her recipes and they never disappoint. I'll have to try this for my hubby. He's like Garfield when it comes to lasagna.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ha ha Garfield! :D My boys kind of are about it too - can't go wrong with a good lasagna, plus what better excuse to make a big crusty loaf of cheesy garlic bread??!! :D

    ReplyDelete

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