Four-Cheese Lasagna

By Kelly Bogard

Preparing for a family gathering can be a tough challenge. You set the date and time. You invite the guests. But what about the food?

It has to look good, taste good and fill everyone’s stomachs! Sounds like a job for lasagna.

That means a plate smothered with an abundance of noodles, tomato sauce, meat and cheese. What’s not to love?

For Four-Cheese Lasagna, you will need…
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. Sweet Italian sausage
3 cans (14.5 oz.) diced Italian tomatoes
2 eggs
2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 small yellow onion, diced
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
Salt and pepper to taste

Lasagna is perfect for a large crowd and goes great with a green salad and garlic bread. Plus, you can make it ahead of time and let it bake while your guests are arriving.

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. While the oven is heating, combine the ground meat and sausage with the garlic and onion in a large pan. Cook through.

Next, take all of the cottage cheese, ricotta and Parmesan cheese and mix well with one cup of mozzarella. You will want to reserve the rest of the mozzarella for the top of the meal.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Combine with the cheese mixture and set aside.

Drain the majority of the grease from the meat and return to heat for five more minutes after adding in tomatoes.

Starting with meat on the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish, layer the ingredients. After the meat, add three noodles followed by a layer of the cheese mixture. Repeat this process until all of the ingredients are used. Be sure to end with a layer of meat. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.

After baking for 40 minutes, remove the foil and add the remaining mozzarella to the top of the lasagna. Place back in the oven for up to 5 minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly on top.

It may seem like it takes a long time to put together, but it will definitely save you time when your guests arrive. Added bonus–it tastes amazing. From all of us at Texas Table Top, enjoy!

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Recipe: Four-Cheese Lasagna

Summary: A classic Italian feast

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 lb. Sweet Italian sausage
3 cans (14.5 oz.) diced Italian tomatoes
2 eggs
2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 small yellow onion, diced
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix together beef, sausage, garlic and onion.
Brown the meat in a large skillet.
Mix cottage, ricotta, Parmesan and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese in a large bowl.
Whisk eggs with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
Add the eggs to the cheese mixture and set aside.
Remove excess grease from meat mixture and stir in tomatoes. Heat for an additional five minutes.
Layer parts starting with part of the meat mixture in the bottom of the 9 x 13 baking dish.
Top with three noodles.
Add a layer of cheese.
Repeat layers ending with meat on the top.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, remove foil and add remaining mozzarella cheese.
Return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted on top.