Lasagna Belmonte

Lasagna has gotten to be a mainstay because it's so filling and hearty. Of course it's also been sorely lost on convenience and there are plenty of frozen ones out there, but they're in no way reminiscent of home made.

The quality of any lasagna is dependent upon the quality of the sauce put into it. That's the key ingredient that has to be good. Grandma would whip up some of her own spaghetti sauce on one night and use up the leftovers in this lasagna dish on another night. The fact that the sauce mellowed a day or so after it was made with the flavors having a chance to fully develop made all the difference.

This particular recipe contains a mini-recipe for a homemade sauce and although it's not the one Grandma used, it's still delicious. If you have your own favorite sauce, by all means use it and eliminate the sauce ingredients and processing altogether.

Lasagna Belmonte

Sauce:
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
2 cans (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
½ cup each dry red wine and water
salt
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp each pepper and sugar


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1-½ pounds ground chuck

12 ounces lasagna noodles
Boiling salt water
Butter
2 cups ricotta cheese or small curd cottage cheese
½ pound mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in wide frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft. Add meat and cook until browned and crumbly; discard any fat.

At this point you may add in your own sauce, or continue to sauce recipe as follows:

Combine garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, wine, water, salt, oregano, pepper and sugar. Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 1-½ hours.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cook noodles in boiling salted water according to package directions. Do not overcook. Drain and rinse with cold water and drain again. 

Arrange one-third of noodles in criss-cross pattern in bottom of buttered shallow 3-quart or 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread one-third of meat sauce over noodles, and top with one-third each of the ricotta and mozzarella. Repeat layering, ending with a top layer of cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake uncovered in 350F oven for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Serves 6-8.