Lasagna and Breadsticks (Recipe 11)

Lasagna – layered deliciousness. It's a beautiful dish with the perfect mixture of meat, cheese, and sauce. And it is surprisingly easy to make. I always thought lasagna was a complicated dish, but after making it, it has become one of the most fun dishes to make. 

Meatballs are the essential meat in lasagna. So, I began by whipping up a batch of Mom's meatballs. Growing up, whenever Mom made meatballs for dinner, Dad always made a comment about how he married Mom because she made the best meatballs he had ever tasted. Not gunna lie, her meatballs are the most amazing ones I have ever had, and I have never been able to replicate them. Thus, I changed the recipe a bit and adapted it to make my own meatball recipe. 

The Recipe: 

• 1 pound of Ground Beef
• Breadcrumbs
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 Egg
• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Italian Seasoning

I would put how much of the seasonings I put it, but I didn't count. Just do it until it looks right. 

Roll them up and bake them at 350ºF for 20-30 minutes. After that time pour spaghetti sauce over them and cook for another 20 minutes. 

Then comes the fun part. The actual lasagna. 

The Recipe:

• 1 Box of Lasagna Noodles
• 1 1/2 Jars of Spaghetti Sauce
• 2 Pounds of Ricotta Cheese
• 1 Egg
• 2 Bags of Mozzarella Cheese 

Boil the noodles for the time suggested on the box. While the noodles are boiling mix together the egg and Ricotta Cheese. This makes it fluffier. I also added in some Italian Seasoning just to add flavour. 

When the noodles are cooked spread a thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Then place the noodle horizontally. Spread spaghetti sauce and ricotta cheese over the noodles. Then place bits of meatball over the sauce. Cover with mozzarella cheese. And repeat.   

For the last layer simply put sauce and cheese on top. Cook at 375ºF for 30-40 minutes. 

I also made breadsticks to go with the meal. I used a tasty braided bread recipe and just made it into breadsticks instead. 

The Recipe:

• 2 Cups Warm Water 
• 2 Tablespoons Yeast 
• 1/3 Cup Sugar 
• 2 Teaspoons Salt 
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil 
• 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder 
• 1/2 Teaspoon Oregano 
• 4-5 Cups Flour (but probably more like 6)

Mix together the water, yeast, and sugar to proof. In another bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients. When the yeast has proofed mix with the other ingredients. Knead and let rest for one hour. After an hour shape into the desired bread type. Braided bread, breadsticks, or rolls. Let rise for 30 minutes. 

Bake at 375ºF for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot! 

Damarise was at work and couldn't join us for dinner. Which, while being lonely without her, also meant there was no one to get a picture of dinner... or to remind me to. So alas, I have no more pictures of dinner. Oops. 

The verdict: The gracious eaters for this meal were Davey, Jimmy, Megan, Faith, Sonya, and Carolyn. They ate it up and left plenty of leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day. I'm a huge fan of anything Italian and after realizing how easy it was, it is definitely a meal I'll make again.