Almost Like Pioneer Woman's Lasagna

It's custom in the Harris House to let the birthday person choose the menu. Jess wanted Lasagna and Flip Over Plum Cake. Now I will be the first to admit that although I have made lasagna I have never found 'the' recipe. Well the hunt is over for the perfect Meaty Lasagna. Pioneer Woman pulled through again. I used her basic recipe and just changed it where it made sense for me to change. Check her blog for a very complete detailed recipe. The basics are covered here.

Almost like Pioneer Woman's Lasagna
1 pound ground beef
3/4 pound Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 can 28 ounces whole tomatoes
2 cans 6 ounce tomato paste
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley or 6 tablespoons fresh parsley finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil or 6 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
3 cups cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup Parmigiana Regino cheese, finely grated or Kraft Green cheese
2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley or 6 Tablespoons fresh  Parsley finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmigiana Reggino cheese--finely shredded or Kraft Green
9 ounce package of  'needs no cooking' lasagna noodles--I used Barilla
Combine ground beef, sausage and garlic. Cook until browned, drain fat. Add tomatoes, tomato paste 6 tablespoons fresh parsley, fresh basil and salt. Simmer the sauce for 45 minutes stirring occasionally.
In a bowl mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmigiana Reggino cheese and 6 more tablespoons of fresh parsley, add 1 teaspoon salt. Stir together,
As per the instructions on the no cook lasagna box, add 1 cup of water to your sauce. I made a 9x13 pan and a 8x4 inch pan to put in the freezer. Spread a little bit of sauce on the bottom of each pan. Layer lasagna noodles, don't overlap. Spoon half of the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat sauce over top. Repeat, ending with meat sauce mixture. Sprinkle the top generously with Parmesan cheese. Either freeze or refrigerate up to 2 days. To bake immediately cover with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour or until heated thru and lasagna noodles are cooked. This dish was delicious! Leftovers heated up nicely and tasted delicious. Everyone was happy. I like using the no cook noodles, just make sure and add extra liquid to your sauce as the noodles will absorb it while cooking. Also for the noodles to cook you must cover the pan with foil and cook for about an hour--it takes that long to cook the noodles.
I did not use the entire box of noodles--this is a meaty, saucy lasagna recipe. Just how my family  likes it. Perfect served with a slice of crusty garlic bread.
I used fresh herbs because I had them growing outside my front door. Dried would also be fine. Good luck and enjoy this yummy make ahead meal. Put it on the schedule for your holiday baking.
Printable Recipe

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