Lasagna

You name it, I'm a big fan of any baked pasta dish. Ziti, stuffed shells, and especially lasagna. A meal so versatile and so delicious deserves more than just a single blog post. I love making a big tray of lasagna, having a nice dinner, taking some for lunch the next day and then freezing the rest. Lasagna freezes real well and I could swear it tastes better once its reheated. Its also super easy to make, although a little time consuming. A 9"x13" baking pan ended up making 12 pieces, three promptly ended up in my stomach.

Ingredients:
- Lasagna Noodles
- 1 jar Spaghetti Sauce (I use mine from a can)
- 1 lb Mozzarella Cheese, grated
- 1 lb Ricotta Cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 lb Ground Beef
Optional: 1 package frozen chopped spinach

Directions:
1) Start off boiling a pot of water big enough to fit the lasagna in. I usually add some salt and olive oil to the water. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2) While the water is starting to boil, brown the ground beef in a pan over medium heat. This should take about 10-15 minutes, draining the grease off when done. Mix the spaghetti sauce in to the ground beef. If you'd like, defrost the spinach in the microwave for 6 minutes and add to the meat sauce.
3) Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook for 8-12 minutes. You should stir every minute or two, being careful not to break the pasta. Once the pasta is done, drain the water.
4) Mix ricotta, grated mozzerella and parmesan cheese together in a bowl.
5) Now, the assembly. Be careful- I always burn my fingers on the hot pasta. Layer the noodles down on the bottom of the tray, cover with the sauce, then add a layer of the cheese mixture. Repeat until the ingredients run out or you fill the tray up.
6) Cover the tray with foil and bake for an hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes so the cheese can set before you cut it apart.

It goes great served with some extra sauce, garlic bread, and a glass of red wine.