Lasagna

This is a beloved recipe in the Cats and Casseroles household. I make it every Thanksgiving and most Christmases, and it's something my family looks forward to every year. I call it my "holiday lasagna," because it's a dish I reserve for special occasions. It does take a bit more time to prepare than a lasagna made with a jarred sauce, and certainly more than a frozen one, but it's totally, totally worth it.

This lasagna is incredibly yummy. The sauce is what makes it truly special, in my opinion. I love the combination of the sausage with the ground beef and all those herbs. The sauce is thick and rich, and has just the perfect balance of flavors.

Part of what makes this lasagna a perfect holiday dish is that it can be made ahead. When I hosted Thanksgiving, I would make this two days ahead of the big event and store it in the refrigerator. When I have company over, it's nice to enjoy time with them instead of being squirreled away in the kitchen preparing dinner.


LASAGNA

for the sauce:
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage
3/4 lb lean ground beef (I often use a whole pound, since it's easier to find)
1/2 c minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

to build the lasagna:
12 no-bake lasagna noodles (I highly recommend Barilla)
1 16 oz  container whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
pinch black pepper
1 8oz bag shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onion and cook for a couple of minutes, or until translucent. Add in the sausage and ground beef. Cook until both sausage and beef are cooked through with no pink inside. Drain off excess grease. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Turn down the heat to medium-low.

2. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Stir in the sugar, basil, fennel, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and parsley. Allow the sauce to simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as needed.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, salt, parsley, and pepper.

5. To build the lasagna: Spoon some sauce to cover the bottom of a deep 9 x 13 metal pan with straight sides. Top this sauce with 6 no-bake lasagna noodles. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella and 1/4 Parmesan on top. Cover with meat sauce. Put down another 6 noodles and repeat the layers, but save the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses for last.

6. Cover the lasagna with foil. Bake for 25 minutes, and then remove foil and bake for another 25 minutes. Let lasagna cool down for about 15 minutes before serving.

Source: allrecipes

Black Bean Chili

A couple of weeks ago, our grocery store had a display of cans of organic black beans being sold at a steep discount. The cans had apparently fallen off a truck and gotten dinged up in the process, but there was nothing wrong with the beans inside the can. Never able to resist a good deal, I picked up a few cans. The next week, I picked up a few more cans. And then the next week.

I came to have more black beans on hand than I had recipes to deal with them. So I came up with this chili recipe. The ultra lean ground beef makes this chili a healthy option, something that is, unfortunately, sorely lacking from my usual recipe repertoire. It's quick to prepare and cooks in a crockpot, perfect for busy days. Normally, with chili, I'm a dedicated kidney bean girl. However, my husband said this chili was the best I've ever made, and I've tried dozens of recipes over the years. See, the black beans falling off the truck was a sign!

BLACK BEAN CHILI

• 1 lb very lean ground beef (at least 95% lean)
• 29 oz can tomato sauce
• 3 15oz can organic black bean, drained
• 2 or 3 large tomatoes, diced
• 2 c frozen chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. In medium skilled, fully cook and drain ground beef. Transfer to slow cooker (4 quart size or larger). Add all other ingredients to slow cooker. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours.

Source: Cats and Casseroles original recipe

Oodles Noodles Casserole

There are dozens of versions of this casserole floating around out there. I've seen this called Yankee Doodle Dandy, Sour Cream Noodle Bake, and Ground Beef Casserole. I call mine Oodles Noodles because I add extra noodles in order to satisfy the bottomless pit that is my husband. I'll do anything to get leftovers.

OODLES NOODLES CASSEROLE

• 5 c. medium egg noodles
• 1 lb ground sirloin
• 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
  
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1/3 c. cream cheese, softened
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large stock pot with water and let come to a boil. Add in noddles.

2. While noodles are cooking, brown ground sirloin in skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat. Add tomato sauce and season with salt, pepper, and onion powder.

3. In small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sour cream.

4. Drain noodles and transfer them to a 9 x 13 baking dish. Layer the beef and tomato sauce mixture on top of noodles. Dot the top of the casserole with large spoonfulls of the cream cheese and sour cream mixture. Smooth out, being careful not to disturb ground beef layer underneath.

5. Bake in preheated oven,uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Source: Cats and Casseroles original recipe