Ari's Lasagna

What's better than having lasagna on a Wednesday night? My kids and I love a good lasagna, although I don't make it often; but when I do we enjoy every bite. Growing up my family would have lasagna with fried chicken or fish, and of course a vegetable like corn or green beans. However, when I became an adult, I realized that you do not need fried meat to eat with lasagna. You really just need a good garden salad and breadsticks or garlic bread. So when my family ask me where is the meat, I simply say in the lasagna!! Don't get me wrong, I still make fried chicken sometimes with my lasagna to maintain our family traditional meals. Its always nice to eat a meal that brings back good childhood memories, especially sharing those memories with your own children. Making a lasagna is not hard at all, but it does takes patience; and I promise it is worth every minute. The one tip I tell others who wants to make a good lasagna; the key is having a good meat sauce. Mastering your meat sauce is what makes your Lasagna stand out and be unforgettable!!

Ari's Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup chopped onions

• 1/8 cup chopped bell peppers

• 2 tsp minced garlic

• 1/2 Tbsp thyme

• Butter

• Chopped Parsley

• 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5oz

• 2 jars of 24oz spaghetti sauce

• 1lb of ground beef

• 1lb of ground Italian sausage (or ground turkey Italian)

• Ricotta Cheese 15oz

• 2-3 bags of Italian shredded cheese

• 1 bag of triple cheddar shredded cheese

• Black pepper

• Sazon

• Nature Seasoning

• Onion powder

• Garlic powder

• Red pepper flakes

• Creole Seasoning

• Basil leaves (dried)

• Oregano

• Complete seasoning

• 1 box of lasagna noodles

Directions:

The Meat Sauce

• Place your ground beef and Italian sausage in a deep skillet

• Chop and ground the meat until the meat is fully cooked and chopped

• Next drain your meat and put the meat into a separate bowl and put to the side

Note: This is when I boil my lasagna noodles and cook them until they are firm but not fully al dente. Once the lasagna noodles are at the desired texture, drain them, put them in separate bowl, then rub a little bit of olive oil on them so they don't stick and then put the bowl to the side

• Clean your deep skillet, and then melt 1-2 Tbsp of butter

• Once the butter is melted add: minced garlic, thyme, chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, 1 Tbsp chopped parsley

• Stir; then lightly season your veggies with black pepper, sazon, nature seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, creole seasoning, oregano, basil leaves, and complete seasoning; mix well

• Add your meat and diced tomatoes to the skillet and mix it well so it can be well blended

• Next add the 2 jars of spaghetti sauce (I like to add a little water to my spaghetti sauce jars after pouring the sauce, shake it, then add that as well)

• Mix everything together and make sure it is well blended

• Once everything is well mixed add more seasonings to get your desired taste

Note: I add a little bit of sugar to balance out the taste of the spaghetti sauce (optional)

• When you achieve your desired taste, put your meat sauce to the side

The Ricotta Cheese mixture

• In a separate bowl mix in 15oz ricotta cheese, 1 cup of Italian cheese, and 1/8 cup of chopped parsley

• Mix until well blended and then put the bowl of ricotta cheese to the side

Let's get ready for the fun part layering the Lasagna, but first make sure you have everything you need to make the layering easy: Lasagna noodles, Meat sauce, Italian shredded cheese, Triple cheddar shredded cheese, Ricotta cheese mixture, Lasagna pan or bake dish, and preheat your oven on 375 degrees

The Lasagna

• Cover the bottom of the Lasagna pan with a layer of meat sauce

• Then place a layer with your lasagna noodles

• Next spread some of your ricotta cheese mixture on each or your noodles (it doesn't have to be completely covered)

• Now add a layer of your meat sauce

• Then sprinkle a mixture of your Triple cheddar shredded cheese and Italian shredded cheese (It doesn't have to be completely covered)

• Continue to do these steps until your lasagna pan is full, but not completely full (we want to leave room for the top layer of cheese and room for baking so there is no spills in your oven)

• When you are doing the last layer of shredded cheese, this is when you want to cover the top of your lasagna completely

• For garnish I like to sprinkle some chopped parsley on top (optional)

• Bake your Lasagna on 375 degrees for about 15 - 20 minutes or until cheese on top is melted

• To make your cheese have a crust, I turn my oven off, then I turn my broil on low and watch my Lasagna cheese broil (optional)

Disclaimer: Be careful with the broil option, the Lasagna began to broil in seconds and doesn't take long; so you want to watch your Lasagna very closely and then turn off broil

• Remove the Lasagna from the oven and let it rest for about 10 -15 minutes before cutting it and serving

Enjoy!!