Posted at http://mynew30.blogspot.com
4 cups of broken lasagna noodles
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
1 pound of ground beef
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
A palmful of dried parsley
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon of Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning
2 pinches of kosher salt
10 turns of the pepper grinder
1 (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
2 (14-1/2 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup of cottage cheese
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Bring a pot of generously salted water to a boil. My lasagna noodles generally come in a 12 to 16 ounce box, and you won't need that entire box of noodles. The easiest way to break them up, is to remove about 1/2 to 3/4's of the noodles from the box (depending on the size box you have) and stick them in a zipper bag, close it and bang it on the counter a few times. Then, just break up any larger pieces you see by hand before removing them from the bag. Add the broken lasagna noodles to the boiling water and cook until tender according to the package directions. Once you remove the noodles, just rinse the bag, turn it inside out to dry and you can reuse it.
While the noodles are cooking, using a large skillet that has a cover, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onions and cook until tender. Add the ground beef and cook until it begins to brown, using a potato masher to crumble the meat. Add the garlic and cook until meat is browned. Add the parsley, Italian seasoning, Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper and stir in well; cook for about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir to mix and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in both cans of diced tomatoes with the juices, stir to blend, reduce heat to a medium-low, cover and simmer while you finish the noodles.
Drain the noodles and set aside for a moment. To the meat in the skillet add the cottage cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the drained noodles; stir to blend. Smooth out the top and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella evenly all over the top. Cover the skillet and continue to simmer on low until the lasagna is bubbly and the cheese has melted. Do not have the burner too high or the bottom will burn!
Alternatively, you can also finish this dish in the oven. Just be sure that your are using a skillet that is oven safe and that has a lid. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you prepare everything. After adding in the cheeses and noodles and topping with the remaining cheese, cover the skillet and place into the hot oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese has melted and and lasagna is bubbly.
Serve hot with some Parmesan garlic toast or hot rolls and a nice mixed garden salad.
