Simple lasagna recipe brings back childhood memories

Posted on Wed, May 19, 2010 : 6 a.m.

Simple lasagna recipe brings back childhood memories

By Jessica Webster

One of my favorite childhood recipes came from the side of a box of lasagna noodles.

Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com

Is there anything more comforting than a favorite recipe from your childhood?

My mom is an excellent and adventurous cook. Everything that I know and love about cooking I learned from her. It's important that you know this because I am about to embarrass her by saying that one of my very favorite food memories from my childhood is the lasagna recipe that she followed from the side of the Prince lasagna box.

It's a fairly simple, straightforward recipe. It calls for sauce from a jar, but you can personalize it with your own favorite sauce. Don't tell my mom that, though. As a child I pitched a fit if my mom dared to stray from the recipe.

Part of the allure of the lasagna was the leftovers. I would ride my bike home from school for lunch, and Mom would wrap a slice of lasagna in foil and heat it up in the toaster oven. It always felt like such a special treat.

I still consider lasagna to be a special treat and I love to make it for my own family. I vary the sauce depending on my mood, maybe adding spinach or other vegetables. I'll sometimes make my own lasagna noodles or splurge on Pastabilities fresh lasagna sheets. But I've always got the Classic North End Lasagna from the Prince lasagna box in the back of my mind, and I always "bake uncovered 30 minutes or until bubbly," and "let stand 10 minutes" before I serve.

Classic North End Lasagna

Ingredients
1 (1 pound) package lasagna, uncooked
Â½ pound bulk Italian sausage
Â½ pound lean ground beef
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Â½ teaspoon salt
Â½ cup dry red wine or beef broth
1 (26-ounce) jar pasta sauce, any flavor
1 (15- or 16-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Â¼ teaspoon pepper
4 cups (1 pound) shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Cook lasagna as package directs; drain.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. In large skillet, over medium heat, brown meats; pour off fat. Add garlic, oregano, salt and wine; cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in pasta sauce; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley and pepper; mix well.

5. On bottom of greased 13x9-inch baking dish, spread Â¾ cup meat sauce. Top with half each the lasagna strips, ricotta cheese mixture, remaining meat sauce and mozzarella. Repeat layering.

6. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers.

Comments

Atticus F.

Fri, May 21, 2010 : 3:20 p.m.

Jessica, Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately I had to catch a flight out, and was unable to try your suggestions. Although I did find out that whole foods has some good, fresh made lasagna, that only needs to be baked.

Atticus F.

Wed, May 19, 2010 : 12:03 p.m.

This article has thrown me deep into a lasagna craving spiral...Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is lasagna. I keep trying to figure out how I can fit a lasgna dinner into my busy schedule tonite. Any suggestions? possibly a restaruant with a good lasagna dinner for carry out?

Atticus F.

Wed, May 19, 2010 : 11:48 a.m.

LOVE IT!!! I cant get enough home made lasagna. I'm of the oppinion that it's always better re-heated the next day.

Barb

Wed, May 19, 2010 : 8:21 a.m.

You can never have too much garlic. BAM! Seriously, though, I've swapped out ricotta with cottage cheese and found it lacking - there's something special about ricotta (and you can buy lo-fat versions) in a lasagna. This is a classic recipe. Although i do add one thing to mine - fresh spinach. It just ups the vegetable quotient without messing to much with the flavor.

J. Sorensen

Wed, May 19, 2010 : 5:19 a.m.

Mmmm box recipes can be good too! I'd up the garlic quotient, though, and lately I've taken to replacing ricotta with lowfat cottage cheese, great texture and flavor, less a few calories!