Easy Lasagne

I pulled out some ground beef and I didn't really have any plans for it. I had a beautiful tub of fresh ricotta in the fridge so I put them together to make, what I think, is an easy lasagne.

Easy Lasagne
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups pasta sauce (home made or jar)
• 1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, turmeric, Italian seasoning blend, dried oregano, paprika
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 1 sweet bell pepper, diced (I used red)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 15 lasagne noodles
• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh grated parmesan or other hard cheese
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine sauce and spices. Set aside.
2. In a little olive oil, fry onions, celery and peppers for 5 minutes until softened. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 more minutes until browned. Add 1/3 cup of sauce and simmer for another 5 minutes. Set aside. I used a jar of sauce and added my own spices. If you use a homemade sauce, you can still add the additional spice mixture. It's really yummy.
3. Combine ricotta, egg and 2 tablespoons parmesan with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 5 minutes. They will be only slightly tender.
5. In a large glass baking dish, place 1/3 cup sauce. Place 5 noodles on top of the sauce then distribute the meat mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle on 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan. Add another layer of 5 noodles. Put half of the remaining sauce over the noodles followed by the cheese mixture. Place the last layer of noodles on followed by the rest of the sauce and cheeses. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until noodles are completely cooked.