Lasagna

My family loves to cook which is, no doubt about it, where I've adapted and inherited that "the kitchen is the heart of the home." For me, being with family is like being on vacation... this is the time where we all indulge in a little comfort food. That being said, last night I got together with my dad and two sisters and what did we make? Lasagna and Triple Chocolate Cake...yum. I normally might feel a little guilty about digging into this ooey gooey cheesy delight but not when my sister and I put so much love into making it.

This lasagna starts with the most delicious home made meat sauce. Now I'm a huge fan of sauces and refuse to use a jarred sauce when I can easily make a sauce of my own... especially when I can utilize all the fresh herbs and vegetables from my dad's garden.

Meat Sauce

1. Brown 1 llb. ground beef, drain fat, and set aside.

2. In a food processor- chop 5 large tomatoes, one large yellow onion, 4 cloves of fresh garlic, handful of fresh parsley, and a handful of fresh basil.

3. To your vegetable puree- add salt and pepper to taste as well as a pinch of red pepper flakes.

4. Add vegetable mix to your sauteed ground beef, as well as a small can of tomato paste, and simmer for about an hour (the longer you simmer the more complex the flavor profiles will become.

Lasagna

1. Boil lasagna pasta sheets, in salted water, for 4 minutes. Lasagna sheets will only be half cooked because we want them to continue cooking in the oven to absorb the sauce.

2. Shred about 2-3 cups of mozzarella cheese.

3. Mix 8 oz ricotta cheese with one egg yolk and a hand full of fresh parsley until nice and creamy.

4. Now begin layering in a casserole dish. Some sauce on the bottom, pasta sheets, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, sauce, pasta, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, sauce, pasta, ricotta cheese, sauce, mozzarella and some more fresh parsley to top it off!

5. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for about an hour.

6. Uncover the lasagna and broil for about five minutes until cheese bubbles and becomes a golden brown.

7. Let the lasagna rest out of the oven for about 10-15 minutes so it can firm up and set.

8. Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 llb lasagna pasta sheets
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• one egg
• block of mozzarella cheese (I use part skim)
• bundle of fresh parsely
• hand full of fresh basil
• 1 llb ground beef
• 5 ripe large tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion
• 4 cloves fresh garlic
• 1 can tomato paste
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste