Iva Lou Stoker made the wedding cake for my wedding receptions, so I shouldn't have been surprised to learn that she was the source for this tasty lasagna. I found her recipe in a fund raising cookbook from my mom's school.
And I know, I know, lasagna's not worth the work, but consider this - you can make about twice as much lasagna from scratch as you pay for to buy it frozen, and really it's not that hard to make. Just be sure to subtract 2-3 minutes from the cooking time when you boil the noodles. I learned that the hard way! If you cook them completely they will tear and be hard to work with. Letting them remain underdone makes them easier to handle and allows for the additional cooking in the oven. Rinse them in cold water to halt the cooking. That makes them easier to handle too!
Meat Sauce:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 to 1 lb sausage
1 tsp basil
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 (1lb) can of tomatoes
2 (6oz) cans of tomato paste
1/4 tsp oregano
Cheese Sauce:
2 eggs, beaten
3 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Also:
1lb mozzarella cheese slices
10 oz lasagna noodles, cooked and drained well
Brown meat; drain well. Add meat sauce ingredients and cook slowly uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occassionally. Combine ingredients for cheese filling.
Layer ingredients in a 3 quart oven-proof casserole in this order: noodles, cheese filling, mozaralla slices, meat sauce. Repeat layers. Bake at 375 for 30 mintues. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting to serve.
(**Also great as leftovers! I usually half the recipe.)
