Nine Layer Lasagna

Hello, old friend. I’m back and this time I think I’ll be here for a while. 

Over the last couple of weeks, scratch that, it’s been a bit longer. Well, for a bit longer than a couple of weeks, I’ve been physically unable to cook. This hasn’t stopped me from thinking about food, recipe ideas, or the difference between me making it and non-stop ordering out. I know, ordering out doesn’t seem so bad, but after a few months, it’s really just not the same and I do so dearly miss cooking.

This week I had an opportunity to sign up to bring something to a church potluck/celebration party. My pastor and his family mean so much to me and when I looked at the sign-up sheet I did sort of expect to see spots open for the main dishes. And that’s ok! I think some people get intimidated to make main dishes because 1.) It’s part of the main dish everyone will be eating and 2.) Sharing your cooking is a very personal experience. I think many people often worry more about the critique, including their own self critique, than enjoying the process. I also think that we now live in a society that takes simple pleasures for granted and doesn’t recognize the value of time, effort, or personal investment but instead only looks at the dollar amount of what was spent and how well it takes a picture.

Oh well.

I mean seriously, you don’t fight a cultural movement like that without being relational and just inviting others over for dinner. Being vulnerable in our society, in real life, is about as rare as playing with a dolphin in the wild when scuba diving. They’re out there, and so much fun when they come play with you, but even when you look for them, they aren’t always there.

So invite others over for dinner! Form authentic relationships with people who value you, your time, and your effort. I once heard a hallmark of Christianity was hospitality. I encourage you to open your home to others, love them, feed them, laugh with them, and don’t expect anything back from them. Just enjoy those moments of unadulterated happiness, joy, and authenticity. This is what life is made up of and in the end we really only have our memories. Let’s make the most of the time we’re given to have so much to be thankful for later.

Ok, back to the actual recipe.

When I looked at the sign-up sheet and the theme (spaghetti dinner), I apparently really missed the theme of spaghetti dinner and just thought “pasta dinner,” which you may or may not realize, but the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook does not distinguish the difference! So while everyone else did make and brings pastas, I found a lasagna recipe that was marked a favorite and looked like it would feed quite a few people.

And obviously since it was me, I only used the recipe as inspiration to then go off book and completely make it my own. What fun is life without risks?

The following is my recipe that I partially made up this morning. Please keep in mind that most of my kitchen, and all of my measuring cups and spoons, are still packed. The seasoning ingredients are my approximations but I encourage you to make it to taste.

Sauce Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground meat
• 1 jar of 36oz. spaghetti sauce (or one 24oz jar + half a 24oz jar like me)
• 1 tbsp pesto
• 2-3 tsp sea salt
• 1-2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 0.5 tsp white sugar

Cream Filling Ingredients

• 12-14 oz. greek yogurt
• (1) 8 oz. package of cream cheese at room temperature
• 1/3-1/2 cup of milk
• 1/3 cup of small chopped white onions
• 1 tbsp onion powder

Remaining Ingredients

• Oven ready lasagna noodles (forget pre-boiling!)
• 3-4 cups of fresh spinach
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

First, grease large baking pan and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make Sauce:

1. Cook ground beef until browned and drain the fat.
2. Add the sauce and stir.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir. Season to taste.
4. Turn heat down to simmer.

Make Cream Filling:

1. In a large bowl or mixer, stir together greek yogurt and cream cheese until you get a semi-smooth or smooth consistency.
2. Continue to stir the mixture while slowly adding the milk. Stop adding milk it starts to get too runny.
3. Chop and add onion and onion powder and stir to combine.

Layer Lasagna:

1. Scoop about 1.5 cups of sauce on to the bottom of the pan and spread evenly. This will be a thin layer.
2. Place pre-boiled lasagna noodles on top of sauce.
3. Add 2 cups of sauce on top of noodles. Spread evenly.
4. Place 1/2 the cream filling on top of the sauce. Try to spread evenly or just glob it on it several strategic corners and throughout the middle. Save remaining half of mixture by covering and leaving at room temperature.
5. After washing and draining spinach, put on top of cream filling.
6. Place pre-boiled noodles on top of spinach.
7. Add remaining sauce.

Bake Lasanga:

1. Cover lasagna with greased tin foil and bake for 45 minutes.
2. After 45 minutes of covered baking, take out of the oven, uncover, and spread remaining cream mixture on top.
3. Once cream mixture is spread on top, cover with shredded cheddar cheese and put lasagna back in the over for 10 minutes.
4. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!