What's for Dinner? Only the BEST Lasagna Ever!

Really.  The. Best. Lasagna. Ever.

I had never made lasagna from scratch before Wednesday night.  I was up for the challenge and in the end very impressed.

This is yet another recipe from the Pioneer Woman archives.  She posts a million pictures with this one and her recipes are so easy to follow.  I suggest if you are going to try this out you jump over there (after you read my review!)

I like to take all of the necessary ingredients out before I start preparing a meal.  Too many times I have been half way through prep only to find out the egg carton in the fridge is empty.

This is everything you need.  Plus the laptop because that's they best way to view Ree's photo recipes.

Hmmm.... I wonder if Shawn will notice the greasy fingerprints on the touch pad?  Oh, well.  I will just remind him that he would not have had The Best Lasagna Ever if I did not have his laptop in the kitchen.

I am very economical when it comes to cooking.  Note the cub brand lasagna noodles.

I should point out how long this recipe took to prepare.  Shawn was able to change the breaks on the van in the time I put this together.  I started pulling everything out of the fridge at 5:30 and we sat down to eat at 7:15.  It was totally worth it but next time this will not be something I make on a night I get home from work late.

There are seven stages to making this lasagna.

First make the sauce. That sauce is the key to this recipe.  I am going to make it again and put it on a pizza crust.  YUM!  It needs to simmer for 45 minutes.  I would not shorten that time if at all possible.

Second, boil your noodles.  I left them very al dente and they finished cooking nicely in the oven.

Third, assemble the lasagna and put in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until bubbly. 

Fourth, go outside and spend the next 25 to 30 minutes humoring the wacko's who live in your house by taking pictures of them while they act like super models in their rain boots.

Technically, the forth stage is optional.  But I suggest you do this because it's a lot of fun.

Fifth, return to the kitchen and remove this from your oven

Sixth, enjoy and try not to eat the entire pan

Seven, come back to my blog and thank me for linking you to this recipe.

I served this with a side salad and Garlic Bread.

Okay, so I am sure you already know how this review is going to turn out but here it is anyway!
The four adults LOVED it and all agreed it was the best they ever had.
The extra teenager who showed up for dinner LOVED it and took home a left over piece.
5 Year Old Boy cleared his plate.
5 Year Old Girl ate more of this lasagna than she has ever eaten in her life. I should mention this particular child does not like red sauce.  To her, tomatoes should be fresh, not cooked.
4 Year Old Girl ate well but did not set any records

With this recipe we were able to feed:
4 adults, 1 teenage girl, 3 preschoolers and have leftovers for 2 adults and 1 teenager.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

Here's the ingredient list.  Click this link for Ree's post and specific directions.

• 1-½ pound Ground Beef
• 1 pound Hot Breakfast Sausage (Kara used Bob Evans Regular Sausage because some of the Preschooler do not like hot food)
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
• 2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 3 cups Lowfat Cottage Cheese (Kara used 4% cottage cheese because that's what was in the house at the time)
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• ½ cups Grated (not Shredded) Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese  (Kara planned to use 1 pound of cheese but ended up being 2 slices short so she used some shredded Mozzarella Cheese found in the cheese drawer.  It worked will but next time she will plan on a bit more than a pound of cheese.)
• 1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles  (Kara had a 16 oz box so I used about 3/4's of the box, better to have more than not enough!!)
• (add 1/2 Teaspoon Salt And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil To Pasta Water)