Ooh-la-la-sagna!

I made the first on my list of "to be frozen" meals last night. It's going to be such a help once the baby gets here and all we have to do is pull something healthy out of the freezer for dinner. Anyways, it's my favorite lasagna recipe of all time. Well, I guess it actually ties with Amber's dad's lasagna, cause that is so very delish too. This one is so very good, and actually not too bad for you, so I'd like to share...

Sauce

8 oz (227 g) light mild Italian sausage (I use the spicy stuff to give it more flavor)
8 oz (227 g) extra lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 jar (22oz/700ml) of your favorite tomato pasta sauce
1 can (19oz/540ml) tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained, cut up
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

12 uncooked whole wheat lasagna noodles
2 cups light ricotta cheese
1 pkg (10oz/280g) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, and chopped
1/3 cup grated Parmesan, Romano, or Asiago cheese
1 egg
1 1/2 cups packed shredded light mozzarella cheese

Instructions

Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside

To make sauce, spray a large, non-stick pot or deep skillet with cooking spray. Remove casing from sausage and break into small pieces in skillet. Add ground beef, onions, and garlic. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Stir in oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook 1 more minute. Add pasta sauce, tomatoes, basil, vinegar and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

While sauce is simmering, cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again.

In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta, spinach Parmesan cheese and egg. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble lasagna, spread 1 cup meat sauce over bottom of baking dish. Top with 4 lasagna noodles, cutting pieces to fit if necessary. Spread 1/3 remaining sauce over noodles, followed by 1/3 mozzarella. Top with 4 more noodles, 1/3 sauce, all of the ricotta mixture, and 1/3 mozzarella. For top layer: 4 noodles, 1/3 sauce, 1/3 mozzarella.

Cover lasagna with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let lasagna stand, uncovered, for 15 minutes before serving (this last part is kinda important, or else all the fillings will slide out as soon as you take out your first piece).

Per Serving:
calories: 311/total fat: 10.5 g/saturated fat: 5.7 g/protein: 25 g/carbohydrate: 29 g/fiber: 4.2 g/sodium: 713 mg

Taken from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry

Tonite I move onto a grown up version of Macaroni and Cheese. Alright, it might not be so grown up, but it's good.