Pre-made vs. Homemade - Lasagna

Frozen lasagna is one of many memories from my childhood dinners, usually when my mom was away and dad had to cook. Although frozen lasagna is easy and just needs to be thrown in the oven for about an hour, it is not all that difficult to make yourself and it is definitely worth it! If we are to look at Stouffer's frozen vegetable lasagna we can see that it is full of chemicals as well as 28% sodium and 29% fat.

                            VS.

Vegetable Lasagna

Tomato sauce - see below for recipe (if you want to cut corners use a jarred sauce)

9 lasagna noodles

1 Pack of dry pressed cottage cheese

1 (size) brick of mozzarella

portabella mushrooms, sliced

about 2 tbsp sherry

italian eggplant, sliced

baby spinach

Once you have your sauce ready, start off by sauteeing your mushrooms - first heat the pan, add a little oil and garlic and let it simmer for just a short amount of time. Then add the mushrooms and some sherry and stir. once the mushrooms are basically fully cooked take them off the heat and set aside. Then cook your noodles until al dente, strain and run cold water over them. Lastly shred your brick of mozzarella and set aside.

Now you are ready to start building your lasagna, start by spreading a little tomato sauce over the bottom of the pan. While you are building your lasagna, start preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Now add your layers accordingly:

noodles

sauce

eggplant

mushrooms

spinach

cottage cheese

mozzarella

Do this three times, and make sure to save some extra mozzarella for the top layer so you have a nice thick layer of cheese on top! Now throw your lasagna in the oven and let it bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden and melty! 

Take the lasagna out of the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes, then cut it into big hearty pieces and serve either on its own or with a nice little salad. Enjoy!

Now, if you are feeling ambitious and want to take this lasagna to the next level try making this homemade sauce:

Badass Tomato Sauce

This sauce is an absolute favourite of my family and friends and although it may take some time it is so very worth the wait!

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small-medium onion, diced

1 beef short rib

1 can tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 bay leaf (if you have it)

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

big splash of red wine

Start by putting a big pot on medium heat with a good coating of olive oil on the bottom. Once the pan is hot add the garlic and onions and let them cook for a minute or two - before they brown. Now add the short rib and brown it on all sides, then add the tomato paste and stir it around for 1 minute. Now add both the crushed and diced tomatoes and give it a stir. Lastly add your herbs and wine and give it another good stir. Once the sauce starts bubbling turn the heat down to low and let simmer for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Once the sauce is done, feel free to eat the beef short rib as a pre-dinner snack. Now your sauce is ready for lasagna or even just some plain old spaghetti and meatballs!