Lasagna

This recipe is a family favorite, especially during the cold Winter months. Feel free to use any cheese that suites your Family - we are lucky enough to tolerate goat cheeses, but I used to make this with my bean cheese sauce and it was yummy!

Tools
9"x13" baking pan
large stock pot
large frying pan or cast iron skillet
aluminum foil

Filling
1 pound ground meat of choice, such as pork, beef or chicken
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon paprika of choice, or chili powder of choice (as hot as you like)
1/2 teaspoon garlic granules, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
1/2 teaspoon pure cane sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1. In small bowl, combine spices with sugar.
2. Place ground meat in mixing bowl; add spices and mix thoroughly to combine spices evenly throughout meat.
3. Place large skillet over medium heat; add spiced ground meat and sauté until cooked through, breaking up large bits.
4. Using slotted spoon, remove cooked meat to clean bowl and set aside - reserve pan (do not clean).

Prepare Meat Sauce

2 teaspoons pure olive oil

1 large organic yellow or sweet onion, chopped

Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

56 ounces canned organic tomatoes, peeled, unsalted, in puree (Eden Organics)

4 cloves garlic, chopped or 1 tablespoons dried garlic flakes or granules

1-1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning mix of choice (Frontier)

1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1. Place reserved frying pan over medium heat; add oil if needed along with chopped onion and salt and pepper to taste; cook about 6 minutes, or until onions are soft.
2. Meanwhile, pour tomatoes with puree into blender or bowl of food processor; process to desired consistency (or using a slotted spoon remove whole peeled tomatoes from puree and chop to desired size with knife).
3. Place stock pot or large saucepan over medium heat; add contents of frying pan and prepared tomatoes with puree; stir in garlic, Italian seasoning and parsley; bring to a boil then drop to a simmer; stir every now and then; simmer for 20 minutes.

To Assemble

Prepared meat sauce
10 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles of choice (Tinkyada)

2-1/2 pounds (about 6 cups) cheese of choice, shredded or soft enough to spread

1. Scoop about 1 cup prepared sauce into bottom of 9"x13" baking dish; place a layer of no-boil lasagna noodles into bottom, overlapping ridges of noodles with one another.
2. Sprinkle or spread a nice layer of prepared cheese over noodles; add meat sauce in even layer over cheese-covered noodles; sprinkle or spread on another layer of cheese then lay down another overlapping layer of noodles; repeat process to form a total of 3 layers, ending with a generous amount of cheese on top.
3. Cover pan with aluminum foil (try to arch the foil so it won't stick to the melting cheese); place in center of preheated 350 degree F oven and bake for 1 hour.
4. Remove foil and bake 30 minutes longer.
5. Remove pan from oven to counter to cool, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes prior to cutting.

Servings: 9 large squares
Prep: 45 minutes
Preheat: 350 degrees F
Baking time: 90 minutes

Variations
Vegetarian: Evenly dice vegetables of choice to equal 4 cups, such as squash, zucchini, cauliflower, bell peppers (yellow, red, orange), mushrooms of choice, legumes of choice (such as white kidney beans, navy beans, black-eyed peas, black beans - be sure to rinse and drain well prior to use).