SIMPLE LASAGNA

My favorite food is Italian. I pretty much love it all. A trip to Italy is my dream vacation destination. I will go one day. One day. To soak in the culture, feast on the flavors, revel in its beauty - just take it all in. I would also love to speak the language, but let's face it... that ain't gonna happen. Chris, though, is not a fan. He's a meat and potatoes kind of guy. He also cooks most nights around here so things such as pasta are few and far between. But hey, as long as he's the one doing the cooking, I'm not complaining. :)

One night last week, however, he called from the grocery store and said, "Hey you wanna make lasagna tonight?" Is that a trick question? Of course I do!

Wait, me make it? I've never made semi homemade lasagna before. The pressure. was. on. 

What would I do without google? Seriously. I would be lost. Once again I combined what I thought I would like from this one then added a few things from that one to sort of make it my own. This lasagna was simple. So simple. So simple yet so delicious.

LASAGNA

2 lbs. ground turkey (obviously you could use any meat: ground beef, venison, italian sausage or a combination – and yes, that is a lot of meat – if you prefer a less meaty lasagna use 1 lb.)

1 large jar spaghetti sauce (I use original Prego because it's basic then I “soup it up” like I like it)

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce (instead of this I used a jar of our canned tomatoes but if I didn't have them, it would definitely have needed this)

1 small onion, diced

1 (8 oz) pkg. mozzarella cheese, shredded*

8 oz provolone cheese, shredded

1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese

2 eggs

¼ c. milk

9 lasagna noodles raw

¼ c. grated parmesan cheese

*I bought a big bag of shredded mozzarella to have extra to sprinkle on top with parmesan - can't imagine how yummy it would be with fresh mozzarella. 

Brown meat and onion. I do this together – I don't have to drain meat using lean turkey. Add spaghetti sauce and tomatoes/tomato sauce. This is where the recipe becomes rather vague, as I don't have a “recipe” for the sauce. I always add salt and pepper, garlic salt, a pinch of sugar, a squirt of ketchup, a little shake of this and that of whatever is in the pantry. :) Pretty much however you would fix up spaghetti sauce.

In a separate bowl combine ricotta cheese, eggs and milk until mixed well. Add mozzarella and provolone, mix well.

Layer a 9x13-inch baking pan with just enough sauce to cover bottom. Lay 3 lasagna noodles in pan. Cover with sauce, then with cheese mixture. Repeat layer. Finish with a layer of noodles, remaining sauce (I had just enough left to barely cover noodles). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese (and extra mozzarella if you have it).

Place on cookie sheet. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 375°. Uncover and continue baking for 15 minutes. 

In the words of my favorite Italian, Giuliana Rancic (who I'm just a tad bit obsessed with), it was "amazeballs." See? I can speak the language.