Kimberley's Spicy Lasagne

This recipe is for the cook who likes to experiment and doesn't need exact amounts for everything. I start with the recipe on the box of noodles and work from there. So here it goes.

1lb of meat- it can be ground whatever or 1pk of Italian sauage(sweet, mild, or hot) I like hot.
3 cups spaghetti sauce-about a 28 ounce jar or 1 can Hunt's spaghetti sauce, I like Hunt's
1 can Rotel tomatoes (optional)
1 1/2 cups water if using uncooked noodles. (It's a royal pain to cook them first)
1 - 15 ounce container of ricotta cheese. Small curd cottage cheese works too but it's not as good.
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I like the grated Parmesan and Romano blend)
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I hardly ever use it)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
9 pieces( 8 ounces of noodles)

Heat oven to 350 F. In a 3qt sauce pan, brown the meat;drain(okay here is where you get creative, If you are using plain ground beef, chicken...etc then spice up the meat. I saute some fresh chopped onion, finely chopped fresh garlic, maybe some green peppers(red and orange peppers are sweeter and taste great)just go crazy, whatever you like. When using spicy Italian sausage I don't add anything to it.

After the meat is drained add the spaghetti sauce to the meat. If you are not going to cook the noodles first then add the 1 1/2 cups water to the sauce. At this point I would add the rotel tomatoes and let the sauce simmer for awhile, 10 minutes minimum but the longer the better. When taste testing the sauce use a piece of French bread, it will give you a better idea of the flavor then tasting off the spoon. If you have time, prepare the sauce the day before, spaghetti sauce always tastes better the next day. If you want more spice, crushed red pepper is a good addition. Any Italian spice blend is always a good choice to add flavor.

Okay the filling is next. In a bowl stir together the ricotta, half the mozzarella, Parmesan(and Romano) cheese, the parsley, eggs and the salt and pepper.

Putting it all together: Pour about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish. Arrange 3 UNCOOKED noodles lengthwise over the sauce; cover with about 1 cup sauce. Spread one-half the cheese filling over the sauce. Repeat layers of lasagne, sauce and cheese filling. Top with a layer of lasagne and remaining sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; bake 15 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Adjust the times as needed to make sure the noodles get done. The box says this serves 10-12, but not in my house.

I've reduced everything and made a lovely small lasagne in a bread pan. Perfect for a couple with some leftovers.

I made a tasty vegetarian version by omitting the meat and using onions, garlic, yellow squash, zucchini and green, yellow and red peppers in the sauce. Also rotel tomatoes. I'm told mushrooms are a good addition(yuck). This is where spices are key, so go for it.

Well, I hope you try it and love it. Play with it and have fun. Have it with Garlic bread and a colorful salad and you're set.