Denise’s Game Day Lasagna
Sep 23, 2020
By McKensey Hendrix
As the crisp fall air starts to settle in, warm, home-cooked meals taste all the better—especially when it comes from a mother’s loving hands. This delicious and cheesy lasagna recipe made with Westby cottage cheese is brought to you by my mom, Denise Hendrix.
If there is any meal that tastes like home to me, it is my mom’s lasagna. Growing up it was something that was served on every Packer Sunday. Now that my brother and I live away from home, it is a meal our family enjoys when we are all back together.
My mom crafted the recipe herself and has experimented with various cottage cheeses throughout the years to find the perfect cheesy texture and flavor. “Nothing compares to Westby’s cottage cheese,” she said. “It truly takes the dish to another level.”
Try my mom’s lasagna for your next family dinner. We hope you enjoy it just as much as our family does!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 2-3 cups Westby 4% cottage cheese
- ½ tsp Onion powder
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 12 oz can of tomato basil sauce
- 9 lasagna noodles
- 1 tsp of olive oil
- 6 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
- Non-stick cooking spray
- Aluminum foil
Directions
Preparing the ingredients:
- Begin browning ground beef in a large fry pan and drain the grease.
- Add onion powder, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Once the ground beef is cooked through, add tomato paste, tomato basil sauce, and oregano.
- Simmer uncovered while a large kettle of water comes to a boil.
- Add lasagna noodles with a teaspoon of olive oil to the water. (Olive oil helps prevent the noodles from sticking together.)
- Boil for about 12 minutes and drain. (Rinse with cold water to prevent the noodles from sticking together).
Assembling the three-layer masterpiece:
- Cover a 13 x 9 in baking pan in non-stick cooking spray.
- Cover the bottom of the pan with a small amount of the sauce to prevent the noodles from sticking to the pan.
- Add 3 noodles to the bottom of the pan.
- Put 1/3 of the meat sauce, ½ cup of Westby cottage cheese, 2 cups of mozzarella, and ½ cup of parmesan evenly over the noodles.
- Repeat 2 more times or until there are no noodles left.
- Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for an hour.
- Uncover for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving and dig in!