Lasagna Recipe
My lasagna specialty of the house is Kathy’s Lasagna vegetarian style. I skip the beef and often use tofu instead. However, you can choose to make it with beef, you can make it with spinach, you can make it with eggplant…various versions are included in the recipe below. When I make this lasagna, everyone loves it because the sauce is cooked from scratch. The secret is in the sauce!
I got the recipe from the cookbook Whole Foods for the Whole Family by La Leche League when I was attending a LLL gathering. I was a member of La Leche League after my children were born because I needed support to breastfeed my babies. Being a part of the LLL local group of mothers was a great support in every respect while bringing up the children. We shared parenting advice, traded grown-out clothes for the kids, formed play groups, and ended up with lifelong friendships.
I have used the Whole Foods cookbook ever since. It is full of time-saving recipes of all sorts. However, it is now out of print. So, after many requests from friends to give them the recipe for this delicious dish, here it is. Enjoy!
Kathy’s Lasagna
1/2 lb. ground beef
3/4 to 1 C. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 C. chopped tomatoes
2 C. tomato paste (or tomato sauce plus 2 T. Wondra sauce & gravy flour)
1 t. salt
dash of pepper
2 T. fresh, chopped parsley (or 1 T. dried flakes)
1/4 t. kelp powder (optional)
1/2 to 1 t. basil
1/2 to 1 t. oregano
2 C. mashed cottage Cheese, tofu or ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese
4 T. fresh, chopped parsley (or 2 T. dried flakes)
8 oz. lasagne noodles, cooked
1 lb. shredded Mozzarella cheese
Brown the meat and onion. Add remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes. Combine cottage cheese with eggs, Parmesan and 4 T. parsley. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour or more while sauce simmers.
Coat bottom of greased 9″x 13″ pan with meat mixture. Layer half the noodles, half the Mozzarella, half the cottage cheese and half the sauce. Repeat. Sprinkle the top with 1 to 2 T. Parmesan cheese before baking, if you wish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before cutting.
Tofu variation is tops. Meat may be eliminated, but if so, let it stand overnight in the refrigerator before baking to blend flavors, as tofu needs time to absorb seasonings.
Eggplant Lasagna: To sauce, add 1 medium eggplant, peeled, chopped, lightly steamed, then mashed.
Spinach Lasagna: Steam 1 to 2 lbs. fresh spinach, or thaw and drain 10 to 20 oz. frozen spinach. Layer half the spinach on top of the cheeses before adding sauce. Repeat.
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