Quick Party Lasagna
After finding and trying a recipe on the back of a jar of spaghetti sauce, I felt like I had been a dummy all those years that I had started my lasagna recipes by first boiling, carefully draining, and handling the wet noodles. This recipe uses those same noodles - uncooked, and it tastes the same.
- 2 26-ounce jars of spaghetti sauce
- 1 box of uncooked lasagna noodles (18 noodles)
- 4-6 cups (16-24 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 15-ounce containers ricotta cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a large deep baking dish with cooking oil. In a bowl mix the ricotta, one half of the mozzarella (or substitute provolone here for a bit of variety) and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheeses. (Frozen or fresh spinach, chopped parsley, freshly ground pepper, 2 beaten eggs, dried basil or Italian seasoning may be added, if desired.)
Layer 1/4th of the spaghetti sauce, 6 noodles and 1/3rd of the cheese mixture in the baking dish. (A layer of cooked italian sausage or sliced sauteed mushrooms may be added.) Repeat twice. Layer with the final 1/4 of the sauce. Top with the remaining mozzarella and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheeses.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
This recipe yields about 20 servings, a large amount of lasagna. If you are not serving it for a party, refrigerate the leftovers in the original pan until chilled. With a sharp knife, neatly cut into serving size portions, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. These leftovers are delicious when thawed and warmed and top with hot spaghetti sauce.
Save