Categories: Casserole, Ground Beef, Lasagna, Main Dish, Paula Deen
Ingredients
- Sauce:
- 2 cups canned diced tomatoes
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Paula Deen's house seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- Other:
- 9 lasagna noodles (6 to 9 long strips)
- 12 ounces cottage cheese or 12 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
- 1 cup swiss cheese, grated
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
Directions
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To make the sauce: In a stockpot, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onions, peppers, garlic, parsley, seasoning mixtures, sugar and bay leaves.
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Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
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Crumble the ground beef in a saucepan.
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Cook until no pink remains, then drain off the fat.
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Add the ground beef to the stockpot.
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Simmer for another 20 minutes.
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While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
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If the sauce is too thin for your taste, you can thicken it up at this time by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water— bring the sauce back to a boil and stir in the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly.
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Remove the bay leaves.
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Preheat the oven to 350ยบ F.
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Mix together the cottage cheese with the 1 beaten egg and the 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese.
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To assemble the lasagna: Place a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9″ × 13″ × 2″ pan.
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Layer 1/3 each of noodles, cottage cheese mixture, Gruyere, Swiss and Cheddar Cheeses.
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Pinch off small pieces of cream cheese and dot over the other cheeses.
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Add another layer of sauce.
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Repeat layering 2 to 3 times, ending with sauce.
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**This may be covered and refrigerated at this point.
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Bake for 20 minutes.
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Remove from oven and top with the Mozarella Cheese and continue to bake for another 10 to 15 minutes.
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Note: If the lasagna has been refrigerated, bake for 40 minutes total.