This is another family favorite. This recipe is the best lasagna I've ever tasted. I can still remember going into Grandma's house and smelling this lasagna cooking in the oven. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
- 2 28 oz. cans of tomatoes with juice
- 2 28 oz. cans of tomato paste
- 1 large chopped onion
- 6 cloves minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground fennel
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 24 oz. cottage cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 8 oz. can grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 pkg. swiss cheese
- 1 pkg. lasagna noodles
- salt and pepper to taste
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Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until soft and set aside.
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Cook ground beef in a large pan or dutch oven, drain and return to pan.
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Add tomatoes, tomato paste, onion, garlic and remaining seasonings to the ground beef.
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Stir well, cover and simmer 3 hours.
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Remove bay leaves when finished.
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While sauce simmers lightly beat the egg, combine and mix with cottage cheese and parmesan cheese.
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Chill until ready to use.
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Cook the lasagna noodles per package instructions and drain.
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Spray or oil a 13 x 9 casserole pan.
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Put enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan.
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Add a layer of lasagna noodles over sauce.
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Remove cheese mixture from the refrigerator and stir. Then spread cheese mixture on top of noodles.
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Repeat layers making 2 or 3 layers, finishing with a layer of sauce.
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Cover with Swiss cheese slices. Swiss cheese can be replaced with Mozzarella, Italian cheese blend or your cheese of choice. Juanita always used Swiss.
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Cover with aluminum foil. I insert several toothpicks into the lasagna before covering with foil to insure it doesn’t stick to the cheese.
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Cook 45 minutes to an hour, or until lasagna is bubbly around the edges. Remove the foil for the last few minutes to lightly brown the cheese.
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Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.