Lasagna Casserole

Lasagna Casserole

Serves 8

When you need to serve a large crowd this recipe is easily doubled and baked in a large roasting pan. You can also layer the dish to be more like lasagna.  I served this at our last young families gathering at church and it served three families of four with one 9x13 size pan leftover. Much like lasagna it freezes well and is even better the second time as leftovers.

Sauce:

1 onion, cut into wedges

2 stalks celery, cut into chunks

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1 in. chunks

1 Tbs. Olive Oil

3 cloves garlic, peel and cut each into three pieces

1 zucchini, cut into chunks

1 green pepper, seeded and cut into chunks

1 c. fresh spinach

1 tsp. each dried basil, oregano, thyme and parsley or 1 ½ Tbs. dried Italian mix

*Place all of the above in a food processor or blender and spin until smooth. Place in a large hot pan and let simmer at a bubble stirring often. Let the veggie mix cook for about 2 minutes.

Meat for sauce:

2 c. lean ground beef browned, but not completely (you will want the meat to finish cooking in the sauce a little of the meat grease adds great flavor!)

1 pkg. (6) bratwurst, sliced on the angle ½ inch width, no need to cook in advance they will cook in the sauce providing a smoky flavor to the sauce (I like to use leftover beer brats)

*Add the meat to the veggie mix and 3 jars of your favorite marinara sauce (I prefer a chunky marinara)

Let the sauce simmer on low covered for 30 minutes, stir it every 5 minutes or so.

Cheesy Cream Middle Mixture:

1 container of spreadable garlic herb cheese spread (I like the cream cheese garlic herb cooking product, however anything similar will work well.)

1 pkg. (2 c.) Italian Cheese mix

1 c. cottage cheese

1 tsp. dried basil (here is where I would add fresh if you have it available and more like 1 Tbs.)

Noodles:

Bring a large spaghetti pot of salted water to a boil and add noodle of your choice. Let cook for 7 minutes and then drain without rinsing. The noodles will be undercooked, but they will soak up the sauce when baked.

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 pan. First add cooked noodles, next top with cheese mixture, followed by meat sauce. Bake for 30 minutes. Top with another pkg. of Italian shredded cheese and bake until bubbly. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.