Recipe: Mama Alana's Easy Lasagna

Red Sauce Ingredients:

2 - 15 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)

2 - 15 oz. cans tomato sauce

6 oz. can tomato paste

1/2 T. dried minced onion

1 t. minced garlic

1/2 T. oregano

1/4 t. fennel seed

1/4 t. marjoram

1/8 t. thyme

1/8 t. rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

 

Final Filling Sauce:

1 batch Red Sauce (above)

6 oz. dr. wt. can olives, sliced

16 oz. regular ground sausage, browned

16 oz. large curd cottage cheese

 

1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles (Great Value is good)

2 lbs. shredded cheese

 
Directions:

1. In a pan or crockpot, mix Red Sauce ingredients and simmer 30 minutes - 2 hours on low, stirring occasionally.
2. Brown sausage and drain.
3. Add olives, browned sausage, and cottage cheese to Red Sauce and stir until just mixed.
4. Spoon a thin layer of Final Filling Sauce in bottom of 4 qt (9" x 13" or 10.5” x 14.75”) casserole dish so noodles don’t stick and burn to the bottom. Layer dry lasagna noodles on top of filling, breaking noodles to fit in dish with 1/4” - 1/2” gaps between noodles. Add filling layer 1/2” - 1” thick. Repeat layering noodles and filling until filling is gone. Do not put dry noodles on top of final layer of filling.
5. Cover with shredded cheese. (To prevent cheese from burning, cover casserole dish with foil for the first 30 minutes of baking time.)
6. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until fork easily pierces lasagna to the bottom of the casserole dish. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Note: Top layer should not come higher than 1/2” from the top of the casserole dish. Do not overfill casserole dish because lasagna will bubble and overflow. For extra flavor, double the amounts of fennel, marjoram, thyme, and rosemary; if herbs are not simmered for at least 30 minutes, filling will have patches of bitter flavors.

Recipe: Cheesy Potato Casserole

Aka Freezer-friendly Funeral Potatoes

2 lb. Bag hash browns

½ c. onions (or 2 T. dried minced onion)

1 can cream of celery

1 can cream of mushroom

8 oz cream cheese

1 c. cubed ham (optional)

1½ to 2 c. jack cheese (reserve ½ c. for topping)

¼ t. pepper

½ t. salt

1 c. corn flakes or crushed ritz crackers for topping

 

Directions:

1. Soften cream cheese and cream together with soups. 

2. Stir in onions, shredded cheese, ham (if desired), pepper, and salt. 

3. Break apart hash browns. Gently stir into cheese mixture. 

4. Place in greased baking dish. Bake covered for 40 minutes at 350 degrees (or up to 1 hour as needed). Uncover and top with remaining cheese and corn flakes (or cracker crumbs). Return to oven until cheese is melted.

 

To Freeze Mixture: Place in gallon freezer bag (or in several smaller freezer bags). Label and freeze.

 

To Serve: Thaw on counter for 2 hours. Place in greased baking dish. Bake covered for 1 hour at 350 degrees (or less than 1 hour if using smaller portions). Uncover and top with remaining cheese and corn flakes (or cracker crumbs). Return to oven until cheese is melted.

Recipe: Stacked Enchiladas

This is a modified version of the stacked enchiladas I enjoy practically every time we go to visit Heath's parents in New Mexico.

Stacked Enchiladas
by Alana Lee

1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
½ onion, chopped
2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilis
1/8 tsp cumin
2-3 T chili powder, or to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
corn tortillas
fixins’: shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, chopped onions, salsa, sour cream, guacamole

Brown beef and drain. Add onions, tomato sauce, green chilis, and spices. Bring to boil. Simmer 20 minutes.

To serve: dip one corn tortilla in meat sauce for a few seconds, place it on your plate, and spoon meat sauce on top of tortilla. Layer tortillas and meat sauce as desired. Top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole (as desired).