Weekend Cooking - Vegetarian Lasagna

From Beth Fish Reads: Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page.

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I normally don't like cooking.  The less time I have to spend cooking, the happier I am.  But there are a few items that I do enjoy making and prefer the taste of them to premade stuff.  This is one of them.

Ingredients:

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

1 cup water

1 box of oven ready lasagna noodles

1 container Ricotta (about 500 g)

2 cups grated Mozzarella cheese

1 pkg Yves Italian Veggie Ground Round

1 large can of diced tomatoes

Supplies:

Large bowl for mixing sauce

Non-stick frying pan

9"x 13" glass baking pan

Mixing spoons

A fork

A drinking glass

Aluminum foil

Measuring cup

Instructions for preparation:

Open jar of spaghetti sauce and can of diced tomatoes.  Add  1 cup water.  Stir well.

Open package of veggie ground round.  Crumble it into the frying pan.  Fry the ground over medium heat until it is browning.  Keep crumbling it with your spatula to make the pieces small.  After 5-10 minutes, take it off the stove and add it to the sauce bowl.  Stir well.

Set out everything on your counter: sauce in bowl, ricotta in its container, grated mozzarella cheese, open box of noodles, pan, spoons, fork, glass.   Half fill the drinking glass with warm water.

Put 1/3 of the sauce into the bottom of the pan (about 1 and 1/4 cups).  Cover with 3 noodles.  Drop half of the ricotta in spoonfuls on top of the noodles.  Dip your fork into the water glass.  Use the wet fork to spread the ricotta.  When the fork gets dry, dip it again.  The cheese won't be perfect, but it should be evenly distributed. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the Mozzarella cheese.  Top with 1/3 of the sauce (about 1.25 cups).

Top with 3 lasagna noodles.  Spread with remaining ricotta.  Use wet fork to spread it evenly.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Mozzarella cheese.  Top with 3 lasagna noodles (no sauce in this layer).

Pour remaining sauce on top.  Cover with mozzarella.

Wipe the rim with a clean, dry paper towel to remove any sauce or cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

To refrigerate or freeze:

Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate/freeze.  Take out of freezer about 8 hours before you want to bake it OR take out of fridge 1 hour before you want to bake it.

Baking instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Put in foil-covered lasagna.  After 30 minutes, remove foil.  Insert oven probe (you can find these at most places that sell kitchen gadgets) that has been preset for 160F.  Return to oven.  When probe beeps, check to see if cheese on top is buble and brownish.  If not, turn on broiler. Keep watching.  When it's the way you want it, turn off broiler.  Remove lasagna.  Let sit on rack for 10 minutes so that the noodles will absorb excess liquid.  This helps the lasagna hold together.

I realize that a lot of you here probably know how to make a lasagna, but if you don't, this will help you make one yourself!  Thanks to my mom for giving me the above instructions.  Hope you enjoy.