Winter Best Food

Extra-Easy Lasagna

Add this easy lasagna recipe to your dinner rotation, or save it for a family Sunday supper when you need to impress but not stress.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 (14-ounce) canned chopped tomatoes
• 2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 (8-ounce) package no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup ricotta or small curd cottage cheese
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the ground beef, stirring to crumble, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off the fat.
3. To the skillet of ground beef, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Place half of noodles in a lightly greased 12- x 8- x 2-inch baking dish, slightly overlapping lengthwise edges. Spoon one-third of the meat mixture over the noodles; add half of the shredded mozzarella, ricotta or cottage cheese, and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat layers, and spoon on the remaining meat mixture. Arrange the mozzarella slices on top. Cover the baking dish with foil. Bake at 350°F for 35 to 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes.
5. Let the finished dish rest for 10 minutes before serving. Top with chopped parsley, if desired.