Monday Meals!

I posted earlier today and then realized I forgot about "Monday Meals"!

This one comes from my friend, Jeri. I served this last weekend when my college friend Laura and her family were visiting. It got rave reviews, and her husband -- who normally won't eat lasagne -- had two servings! Awesome dinner, Jeri, thanks!

Lasagna with Herbed Meat Sauce (makes 1 9x13 pan, or 2 8x8 pans)

Jeri Lamy

SAUCE
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts discarded and torn into small pieces
1/2 cup buttermilk or 6 Tbsp plain yogurt thinned with 2 Tbsp milk
1 pound ground meat (mix of 3/4 ground beef and 1/4 ground pork, or
your choice of meat)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 large egg
1 Tbsp minced garlic (divided)
3/4 tsp salt
ground black pepper
1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil
28-oz can crushed tomatoes
6-oz can tomato paste
2 tsp italian seasoning (or any mix of oregano, basil, thyme, sage)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

CHEESE LAYER
12 oz small curd cottage cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

OTHER INGREDIENTS
package of lasagna noodles (can use no-boil)
3 cups shredded mozzarella

For the Meat Sauce:
Combine bread and buttermilk/yogurt mixture in a small bowl, mashing
occasionally with a fork until a smooth paste forms, about 5-10
minutes.

Mix ground meat, parmesan, parsley, egg, 1 tsp of the garlic, salt,
and pepper to taste in a medium bowl. Add bread/milk mixture and
combine until evenly mixed.

Heat 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large nonstick saucepan over
medium-high heat. Add meat mixture and brown, stirring frequently,
until meat is cooked through and browned. Clear a small open spot on
bottom of pan and add remaining 2 tsp of garlic to open spot. When it
starts to sizzle, add tomatoes, paste, and herbs, and stir. Add salt
and pepper to taste and simmer until sauce thickens a bit, about 20-30
minutes. (If using no-boil noodles, I will typically add a bit of
water to the sauce after it is finished cooking, about 1/3 of a cup)

Assembling Lasagna:
In a medium bowl mix cottage cheese, egg, and black pepper.

Spread a small amount of meat sauce in bottom of pan to keep noodles
from sticking, about 1/4 cup. Layer noodles, 1/3 of the meat sauce,
1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture, and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese.
Repeat layers and use remaining meat sauce to dot the top of the
lasagna and spread around, so that cheese doesn't brown too much or
burn. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes...remove from oven and let stand
10 minutes before serving.