Lasagna is usually a crowd pleaser but I’ve had many that were not seasoned well or were just all pasta. Not good. This is more of a updated/fancy lasagna for a smaller group. In this instance, I made several different ones for the family that lives all over town. 

First, put the water to boil for the noodles. Then heat up a pot for the meat. I started with a pack of ground beef and one of mild Italian sausage. 

Brown this on medium to med-high heat. I used a spatula to break it up so there were no big chunks. 

Then I stuck a few paper towels in there to get some of the fat but not all of it. 

Then I added a chopped red onion, half a habanero without seeds, 4 large cloves of garlic roughly chopped, crushed Italian tomatoes, the tomato paste and some spices. 

Bring to a soft boil, then simmer on low for an hour or so. 

Meanwhile, the noodles are done, I laid them out on cookie sheets close together. 

Mix a large container of ricotta cheese with some grated parmigiana, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, and a bag of defrosted spinach that has the water pressed out. 

Place equal amounts over all the noodles you have then spread. I added more heat for the crew that loves spice. 

Then roll them up. Here I used a bread tin with sauce at the bottom and top then cheese. This is meant for baking. 

I also used a microwave safe dish and put another set, there I put sauce/cheese/sauce, then pasta on top then more sauce. 

They will nook it then flip it over onto a serving dish and then the sauce will fall on top. 

For the third household, I just put two and covered with sauce–another microwave dish. 

And for lunch, I put sauce at the bottom noodle the more sauce in a coffee cup, so you heat in the microwave then turn upside down onto your plate and eat. 

This was a little messy, but worked out well. 

And one final dish for the veggie in my life–

I used a jar of alfredo sauce since she doesn’t eat meat. 

This one dish fed a crowd in a variety of ways! 

I had sauce left over (on purpose) and put it in the freezer for a quick week night meal. 

Give it a try!

Yum!
Here I used:

1 lb lean ground chuck

0.5 lb mild Italian sausage without the casings

2 large cans of crushed tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste 

1 diced onion

4-6 cloves of garlic

1 box lasagna noodles

1 bag frozen spinach–defrosted and water squeezed out

1 cup grated parmigiana 

2 cups mozzarella grated

I large tub of ricotta cheese

Salt, pepper, cayenne, oregano, frozen or fresh habanero pepper