easy lasagna recipe

This very easy lasagna recipe was so yummy that I didn’t even get a picture of the finished dish before we ate it!

But let’s get started at the very beginning.

This recipe for Beef, Arugula and Spinach Lasagna  was suggested to me as part of a sponsored program through the Texas Beef Council.  My family is beef-lovin’ so I was glad to give it a try…because we love lasagna recipes!

I found that it was so easy that we added it to the regular weeknight dinner plan – one reason is because it uses the lasagna noodles that don’t require pre-cooking.

One of the mysteries of lasagna is the proper layering.   Which layer goes where?

I have made a handy, dandy visual aid to help explain the secrets of…

How to Layer Lasagna

The pictures below are in order of how they will appear in the baking dish.   I started by placing layer 1 in the bottom of the dish and then working up to the top.

Lasagna Layer Ingredients:

Lasagna Sauce Layer

• 1 – 1/2 lbs 95% lean ground beef
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper
• 4 cups of prepared pasta or spaghetti sauce {I used 2 cups of Classico’s Fire Roasted Tomato & Garlic and 2 cups of Classico’s Spicy Tomato & Basil}

Brown beef with garlic over medium heat for 8 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.   Break into crumbles and pour off drippings.   Season with salt and pepper.   Stir in pasta sauce and set aside.

Pasta Noodle Layer

• 1 pkg uncooked, oven-ready (no boil) lasagna noodles

Set aside.

Ricotta Cheese Layer

• 15 oz Fat free Ricotta Cheese
• 2 egg whites
• 2 T fresh basil (chopped)
• 2 T fresh oregano (chopped)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t pepper

Combine ricotta cheese, egg whites, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl.   Set aside.

Spinach Layer

• 2 c loosely packed fresh baby spinach
• 2 c loosely packed fresh baby arugula

Combine spinach and arugula and set aside.   My store didn’t have arugula, so I used 4 cups of spinach and it tasted great.

Mozzarella Cheese Layer

• 1 1/2 c reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Set aside.   Each layer uses 1/2 c of cheese.

Lasagna Layering Instructions

Start with spreading 1 cup meat sauce over the bottom of a rectangular glass baking dish.   Mine was 8 x 11.5 inches which was PERFECT for using three Skinner Oven Ready Lasagna noodles on each pasta layer.   Then add the pasta noodles, ricotta cheese layer, spinach layer and then sprinkle the Mozzarella cheese (steps 1-5 above).

Repeat the layers again (steps 6-10 above).

Top with 3 more noodles and another layer of meat sauce (steps 11 & 12 above).

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes {or until noodles are tender} covered with foil (step 13).

Remove foil.   Add one more layer of Mozarella cheese (step 14).

Bake for 5 additional minutes uncovered.

Remove from oven and re-cover loosely for 10 minutes.

That picture is the last picture I was able to take because once the lasagna hit the table, it was gone.   And there was a bunch of it.   Every member of my family plus my in-laws gobbled it up without complaint.

I am really excited to be working again with the Texas Beef Council {some of my very favorite folks} exploring a series of  nutrient-rich family-friendly meals.