Easy, Delicious Homemade Lasagna
My mom was born in Baclod City in the Philippines – when she came to Texas, she met my dad shortly after through his cousin whom she worked with in the ICU in Victoria, Texas. I say all this because my mother is a Filipino woman who learned about food through friends and family as she spent more and more time in the states. She was always known as the cook, hostess, entertainer.
Because my mom worked in the evenings she favored a dish she could make in bulk and last in the freezer for a while – should she [or her family] ever need it to make a meal, it was always an option. I always loved when she made this sauce – it was not overly complicated and could be used in spaghetti, in lasagna, chicken parmesan – it was an easy and versatile comfort food.
I have made lasagna on my social media a few times – it can be time consuming, but so worth it. These days I have split the batch to freeze one, and eat one fresh – but that would totally depend on how many people you are feeding – this recipe can easily feed 8 [probably more if there are kids] – with a salad and breadstick or Texas toast, I am telling you this one is a winner for everyone.
Preparation
Start by chopping your bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Sometimes I throw mine in a food processor to save time and get them nice and small. But you can definitely chop them by hand as well. Set aside.
Cook your ground beef [or turkey] in a pan with seasoning – salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning – you know, the works. Once cooked all the way through, drain and set aside.
The Sauce
In a large pot, add your olive oil and garlic with medium heat. After about 1 minutes add your onions and give this a good stir. In another 3 or so minutes, add your chopped bell pepper and let the veggies cook down till they are nice and soft – and onions are transparent. Add the ground beef mixture to the onions/bell pepper mixture.
Add diced tomatoes (dump that the whole can, you don’t need to strain it) and your tomato sauce. Give everything a good stir and keep on that medium heat. Keep ONE empty can next to you – you’re gonna need it.
Add in your sweetener – I use about ½ cup banana sauce (you can find this in your local Asian market) and a little sugar (like a teaspoon). Season your sauce with Oregano, Italian Seasoning, Salt, Pepper – Only you know how much you want. So, season to your liking.
Take your empty can, add water and add to your sauce – bring everything to a boil and stir. Once it is brought to a boil if you find the taste is still too strong, dilute with more water as needed. Keep the sauce on a low heat, cover, and let it simmer for at least an hour. Check your sauce repeatedly.
Once your sauce is done you can use this for a good ole fashioned spaghetti dinner. This sauce can be frozen as well to use in the future.
Filling & Assembly
Pre-heat oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Add Ricotta, Parmesan Cheese, Mozzarella, and Fresh Chopped Parsley to a bowl and combine.
Cook lasagna noodles as instructed on the box – I have used some oven-ready noodles and that makes life so much easier, and cuts down on some time. Spray your lasagna dish with some oil and begin to lay down the lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan.
Pour a layer of your cause on top of the noodles, make sure they are all covered (don’t be shy). Spoon scoop bits of your ricotta-cheese mixture throughout the top of the sauce layer. Top with the lasagna noodles and repeat.
Top the final layer of noodles with your sauce and a generous portion of cheese. Cover with foil and bake the lasagna for 20 minutes – if you want, for an extra something, for the last 5 minutes, broil the cheese on top to get that nice browning (in fact this is mandatory, broil it – thank me later).
I say wait about 10 minutes to let your lasagna set, but at the end of the day – eat it when you wanna eat it. Enjoy!
Easy, Delicious Homemade Lasagna
Ingredients
Sauce
Lasagna Filling
Instructions
Sauce
-
Start by Chopping your bell peppers and onions. I threw mine in a food processor to save time and get them nice and small. Set aside.
-
In a large pot, add your olive oil and garlic with medium heat. After about 1 minutes add your onions and give this a good stir. In another 3 or so minutes, add your chopped bell pepper and let the veggies cook down till they are nice and soft.
-
Add your cooked ground beef to the onions/bell pepper mixture and stir.
-
Add diced tomatoes (dump that the whole can, you don’t need to strain it) and your tomato sauce. Give everything a good stir and keep on that medium heat. Keep ONE empty can next to you.
-
Add your sweetener – I use about ½ cup banana sauce (you can find this in your local Asian market) or honey works well too.
-
Season the sauce with Oregano, Italian Seasoning, Salt, Pepper – Only you know how much you want. So, season to your liking. ;)
-
Take your empty can, add water and add to your sauce – bring everything to a boil and stir. Once it is brought to a boil if you find the taste is still too strong, dilute with more water as needed.
-
Keep the sauce on a low heat, cover, and let it simmer for at least an hour. Check your sauce repeatedly.
-
Once your sauce is done you can use this for a good ole spaghetti dinner. This sauce can be frozen as well to use in the future.
Lasagna Filling & Assembly
-
Pre-heat oven to 375 Degrees Fahrenheit.
-
Add Ricotta, Parmesan Cheese, Mozzarella, and Fresh Chopped Parsley to a bowl and combine.
-
Cook lasagna noodles as instructed on the box.
-
Spray your lasagna dish with some oil and begin to lay down the lasagna noodles in the bottom of the pan.
-
Pour a layer of your cause on top of the noodles, make sure they are all covered (don’t be shy).
-
Spoon scoop of your ricotta-cheese mixture throughout the top of the sauce layer. Top with the lasagna noodles and repeat.
-
Top the final layer of noodles with your sauce and a generous portion of cheese.
-
Cover with foil and bake the lasagna for 20 minutes – if you want, for an extra something, for the last 5 minutes, broil the cheese on top to get that nice browning (in fact this is mandatory, broil it – thank me later).
-
I say wait about 10 minutes to let your lasagna set, but at the end of the day – eat it when you wanna eat it. Enjoy!
