Main Dishes:

Lasagna

Comment on this recipe

"This recipe was given to me by a dear old friend of the family. Her name is Ethel Cawley. Ethel never actually made the recipe, but enjoyed eating it whenever it was prepared for her family by her sister."

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds lean ground chuck
1 can (32 ounces) tomatoes ("I use home-canned quart size.")
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 package of Lawry seasoned spaghetti sauce mix
1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese
12 to 16 ounces of Ricotta cheese or dry curd cottage cheese
8 to 10 lasagna noodles
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Instructions

Brown the ground chuck and drain off the fat very well. Drain the large can of tomatoes and add to meat mixture. Stir in the 8-ounce can of tomato sauce. Stir in the Lawry's sauce mix and the garlic powder. Cover and simmer this sauce mixture for 1/2 hour.

Cook noodles according to package directions. When the noodles are cooked, begin to assemble the dish. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with non-stick vegetable spray.

Place four of the noodles on the bottom of the pan. Add some of the sauce (about half) over the noodles. Place 1/4 to 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese on top of the meat. Spread the ricotta (or dry cottage cheese) over the mozzarella. Put another layer of noodles on top of the ricotta. Add the rest of the meat sauce on top of the second layer of noodles. Cover the sauce with the rest of the mozzarella. You may sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top of the whole lasagna if you like.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

This recipe also freezes well. After assembling the dish, it can be placed into the freezer for future use. Just remove from freezer and bake at 425 degrees for 1-1/2 hours.

Carol Danek
Rock Island