Dec 22

Dec 22 Holiday Dinner Series Recipe & Round-Up: Main Dish

I know the traditional American Christmas dinner is some kind of roasted meat but in my Italian family, we have pasta. Raviolis are the main attraction since we only get them once a year but we also have lots of other options on the buffet. One dish that I absolutely love that would make a great addition to any Christmas dinner table is Lasagna. It's so filling and comforting. It's hard to resist this classic. Today, I've shared a Lasagna recipe that I think will have everyone asking for seconds.

Lasagna
Ingredients
1 package of lasagna noodles
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. garlic poder
1 tsp. dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
15 oz. ricotta cheese
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
24 oz. pasta gravy
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Heat a skillet over medium heat and brown ground beef with garlic powder, basil, salt and pepper. Set aside, drain and cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch casserole dish with pasta sauce generously. Layer lasagna noodles, add more pasta sauce followed by beef mixture. Set another layer of noodles on top followed by pasta sauce and this time the ricotta mixture. Repeat until the dish is full and you're out of filling.

Cover the top of the lasagna with the remaining sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella then parmesan cheese. Bake covered for 35-45 minutes until it's bubbly. Take the cover off and broil for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Serves about 8