Lazy Lasagna

LAZY LASAGNA

SERVES 8

Lasagna involves a lot of TLC and that’s part of what makes it so special. I’m happy to take the time and energy to prepare a good old fashioned lasagna on a holiday or even on a Sunday, but mama has no time for that on a weeknight! So, I found a way to streamline the process and still get all the same great flavor by using frozen cheese raviolis instead of cooked lasagna noodles. No need to precook them at all! Just line the raviolis up in your dish and let the oven do the work for you!

1 pound ground beef (80/20)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce (I recommend Sansone’s Sunday Sauce on page 38), divided

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese,plus more for serving

2/3 cup Italian-style bread crumbs

1 cup chopped fresh spinach

24 (30 ounce package) large frozen cheese raviolis

3 eggs

12 thick slices mozzarella cheese

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2 In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Season with salt and pepper, then mix in 1 cup of sauce. Remove from heat.

3 In a large mixing bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, spinach, and egg. Fold in ground beef and sauce mixture. Mix well.

4 In a 9x13 oven-safe baking dish, spread 1 cup of sauce to cover the bottom. (This is very important so the raviolis don’t stick!) Layer half of the frozen raviolis, half of the meat mixture, another cup of sauce, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat another layer with the remaining ingredients.

5 Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30–40 minutes or until the inside is bubbly. In the last few minutes, remove aluminum foil and broil to get the cheese golden brown (but not burnt).

6 Top with Parmesan cheese.