Do you remember what it was like to be 8 years old?

 

I came across a show called “Kids baking championship” the other day and I was in complete awe!

Those kids were whipping up cheesecakes, cookies and cream puffs like its no big deal! When I was 8 years old I could barely put together a bread butter sandwich let alone make one!

One of them even said, that if he wins the prize money he will invest it in mutual funds. I mean, wow, how old are you now?

All I remember being a pre-teen was that my favorite bubble gum was “Big Babol” and the only competition I knew was who makes the biggest bubble out of it. 😛

Now, that we are taking a walk down the memory lane, is there anyone who misses playing their brick games? Sundays and holidays were never the same without them.

Ofcourse my parents couldn’t know I wasted too much time on it instead of doing homework so my grandfather used to give me money to buy batteries. Tee hee. 😉

(Yes, having pocket money was a far fetched concept around that time)

Anyway, enough about my childhood stories, lets get back to the recipe. This finger licking Italian classic was on my mind since a long time and I am so happy I finally made it!

Lasagna requires substantial amount of time to cook , so, it would be a good idea to make it on a weekend or on a holiday and the best part is, it can feed an army!

BTW this recipe is adapted from “Laura in the kitchen- Classic meat and cheese lasagna”. Laura is a fantastic Italian-American cook and I love watching her videos for recipe inspirations. Check out her Youtube channel “laurainthekitchen” if you want to get inspired.

Also, if you  like what you see you can follow me on Instagram where I post more everyday food and recipes as well 🙂

 

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6-8 people

INGREDIENTS
SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
8 ounces lean ground chicken (or any meat of your choice)
2 cans tomato puree
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon sugar or jaggery
1 bay leaf
Salt + Pepper to taste
1/2 Cup Water
LASAGNA
12 lasagna noodles
2 cups ricotta cheese *
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
4 cups grated mozzarella cheese 

* If you do not have ricotta cheese,it is similar to Paneer or you can just use mozarella and parmesan, and it works very well.

Method:

1) Heat Oil in a large saucepan cook the onion over medium heat, until soft and translucent about 7-8 minutes.

2) Add and stir in the minced garlic and ground chicken, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until the meat is just about cooked through.

3) Add the tomato puree and ingredients listed under the sauce section (except water), partially cover the pan, turn the heat down to medium low and cook for 1 hour giving it an occasional stir. If the sauce appears too thick add ½ cup of water.

4) Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the basil leaves partially. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.

5) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Assembling Lasagna:

6) Partially cook the lasagna noodles and make sure they are not cooked all the way. No need for this step if you have “Oven ready” Lasagna sheets.

7) In a large bowl mix together ricotta, ½ cup of Parmesan cheese and egg. Season everything lightly with salt and pepper.

8) Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of 13×9-inch baking dish. Place 4 noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit. Spread half of ricotta mixture evenly over noodles. Sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over cheese, spreading with spatula to cover (sauce will be thick).

Repeat layering with 4 noodles, remaining ricotta mixture, 2 cups mozzarella and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Arrange remaining noodles over sauce. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese evenly over lasagna.

10) Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the lasagna is bubbly at the bottom.

11) Wait for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy with your friends and family!