Sundays with Friends: Don’t like Ricotta? No Problem with Sara’s Lasagna!

Today’s Sundays with Friends comes from my very good friend, Sara. I met Sara through work six years ago , and we have remained close friends ever since. Sara is the friend everyone needs in their lives. She’s the one you go to when you need advice. She’s also the one you go to to tell the funny dirty joke you just heard. Most of all, she’s the one you go to when you need that extra pick-me-up, or to feel the presence of God close by you in the form of an angel that is named Sara. As her writing advises us…she does take food to people…”such as a friend who just had a baby or someone who had surgery and can’t cook for themselves yet”.

I love my Sara (and her Rockstar hub and baby), and I think anyone that knows her would agree that we are all blessed to know her. With love to you, Sara, and thank you for joining Sundays with Friends on The Onyx Plate!

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While growing up, my mom would make this lasagna every Christmas Eve. It was the perfect meal, with salad and garlic bread, to fill our bellies as we prepared to attend a Christmas Eve Service and then wait for Santa to make his appearance. As an adult, I carried on the tradition last year when my husband and I spent our first Christmas Eve alone, and, although it didn’t contain my mom’s touch, it was still delicious.

This is the lasagna for lasagna lovers who don’t necessarily like Ricotta cheese. Personally, I love anything with noodles, sauce and mozzarella, but I just never got into the consistency or flavor of Ricotta, so this is the perfect lasagna for me.

This lasagna is also a great meal to carry to those in need, such as a friend who just had a baby or someone who had surgery and can’t cook for themselves yet, because of the amount it makes. The recipe usually makes enough to have left-overs…and believe me…you want left-overs of this! It’s even better the next day! Enjoy!

Mom’s Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs Ground Beef
• 1 large Onion, chopped fine
• 1 Green Pepper, chopped (or ground to a pulp as Sara likes hers done in her Magic Bullet, hehe)
• 2 10-oz cans Spaghetti Sauce with green peppers and mushrooms
• Oregano,Garlic Powder & crushed Red Pepper to taste
• 1 8-oz package Lasagna Noodles
• 2 8-oz packages Mozzarella Cheese slices

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brown ground beef & drain.

1. Put chopped onion & green pepper in water & heat in microwave for 5 minutes. Drain the water out after heating.

1. Add spaghetti sauce to ground beef & mix in onion & pepper combination. Mix sauce with oregano, garlic powder & red pepper to taste. Bring mix to a boil. Turn temperature down to a simmer & cover. Simmer for 15 minutes.

1. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil & add noodles. Cook noodles according to package instructions.
2. Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
3. Layer ingredients in this order: sauce (bottom), noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles,cheese, sauce.
4. Cook for 25 minutes, or until bubbly.