Lasagna

From:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS

Red Sauce:
• 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Creamy Filling:
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup cottage
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Noodles and Cheese:
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 9 no-boil lasagna noodles 

DIRECTIONS

1. For the sauce, in a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook the ground meat and onion until the meat is cooked through. Drain any excess grease. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, dried basil, salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes.
2. For the filling, in a medium bowl mix the ricotta, egg, basil, parsley, salt, and Parmesan cheese. 
3. To assemble the lasagna, lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan. Spread 1/2 cup or so of the sauce over the bottom into a thin layer. Layer as follows: 3 noodles, red sauce, creamy filling, mozzarella, 3 noodles, red sauce, creamy filling, mozzarella, 3 noodles, red sauce, remaining mozzarella. (Basically, all layers - the noodles, red sauce, mozzarella - are split into three layers and the creamy filling is divided among two layers.)
4. Cover with greased foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, bake 20-30 minutes more until hot and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.
5. *Freezable Meal: Prepare recipe right up until the baking step and then cover with a double layer of lightly greased aluminum foil. Freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. To bake, increase baking time to about 40 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered. If baking from frozen, bake covered for 1 hour and 30 minutes, uncover and bake 30-40 minutes longer.