OAMC -Once A Month Cooking #2

Last night we had lasagna.  This was one of the casseroles that I had made last week and frozen.  It was not completely thawed by the time I stuck it in the oven, so I put it in the oven while the oven was preheating (an extra 15 min).  When I made the recipe, I bought two boxes of lasagna noodles, which were a couple shy of what I needed, so you need three boxes for three casseroles.  Also, if you are not a fan of cheese, this one is not for you.  Or, you can make a little more meat sauce to add to it.  My four year old licked her plate clean!  We also ate some bread that I made in the bread machine.  It was really good too!  This is also an OAMC recipe, which I will include at the bottom of the page.

Simply Lasagna

1 lb ground beef  (I used ground turkey because it is cheaper and you can't really tell the difference)
1 egg, beaten
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (I omitted this)
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked (finally a recipe I don't have to cook the noodles first for!)

Brown meat, drain, then add spaghetti sauce and water.

In a separate bowl, mix egg, 1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and parsley, until well blended.

Spread 1 cup of meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9 in baking dish, top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, one-third of the cheese mixture, and one cup of the sauce.  Repeat the layers twice.  Top with remaining 3 noodles and the remaining meat sauce.  Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil.

Freeze, or heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for additional 15 min, or until heated through.  Let stand 15 min, before cutting to serve.  Makes 12 servings.

This is the bread recipe.  I stored my mix in a recycled plastic ice cream bucket (one of the larger ones).

Bread Machine Mix for White Bread

5 lbs bread flour  (make sure to get bread flour!)
1 cup powdered milk  (I bought  the ones in envelopes, one envelope equals 1 cup)
2/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp salt

You will also need:  water, butter, and bread machine yeast.

1)  Stir together flour, powdered milk, sugar, and salt in a big bowl.
2)  Store in a tightly covered container in a cool place. (I keep mine in the refrigerator)
3)  To make 1 1/2 lb loaf:  use 3 cups mix, 1 1/4 cup water, 2 tbsp softened butter, and 1 1/4 tsp bread machine yeaste.
4)  To make 2 lb loaf:  use 4 1/3 cups mix, 1 1/3 cup water, 2 tbsp softened butter, and 1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast.
5)  Place ingredients in machine, select basic or white bread cycle, with a medium or light crust.
6)  When done, remove from machine and cool on rack (I ate mine straight out of the machine with butter!)