Lasagna, Garfield style.

Here's my "from scratch" recipe for meat lasagna. (I use the term "recipe" loosely).

Ingredients

1 mozzarella ball shredded
1 pkg ricotta
1 pkg cottage cheese
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 onion chopped
1 large shredded carrot (optional)
1 green pepper
5 white mushrooms
3 cloves garlic
1 pkg no-boil lasagna noodles (I used 8 noodles I had left from the artichoke lasagna. They made 2 layers of noodles).

1. Brown ground beef with onions, garlic in a large skillet. Add green peppers, mushrooms and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes at about medium. (Long enough to soften peppers and carrot).

2. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer on low.

3. Mix ricotta and cottage cheese.

4. In a casserole dish (mines about 8 x 11") spoon a layer of the spaghetti sauce mixture (about 1/3 of the mixture). Top with one layer of noodles. Top noodles with half of the ricotta mixture and 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheese. (You should now have no ricotta left, I had too much and saved it for munching). Top with remaining sauce, top THAT with remaining mozza. (NO ricotta or noodles in that layer).

5. Cover with foil and bake in oven at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Broil until cheese is brown and bubbly (if you want, I do).