My mom’s lasagna recipe is mostly based on one from the “No fad, good food, five dollar a day cookbook” that I believe my parents have had since their university days. The book itself shows a lot of wear and appropriate food stains. Over the years, it has been very reliable for tasty and cheap food ideas. My mom’s interpretation of it has completely spoiled me for store-bought lasagna.

This was my first time making it for myself, and unfortunately about 5 minutes after this picture was taken, I was trying to carry the lasagna to my friend Katy’s place and it slipped from its handles and dropped on the floor… exploding bits of lasagna everywhere. I managed to save most of it, but it wasn’t winning any prizes for looks. It was delicious, though!

Ingredients:

Sauce Layer:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup sliced onion
• ½ cup carrot
• ½ cup celery
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1½ tsp oregano
• ¼ tsp celery seed
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1½ tsp rosemary
• 1½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 or 2 small cans tomato paste
• 1 tbsp honey
• water

Cheese/Spinach Layer:

• ½ lb cottage cheese
• ½ lb ricotta cheese
• ½ lb frozen chopped spinach (thawed), or equivalent fresh

Noodles:

• oven-ready lasagna noodles

Topping:

• ~1lb shredded mozerella and cheddar and parmesan cheeses

Directions:

Sauté all veggies in large pot until soft and onions slightly brown. Add all the other sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil. Simmer for an hour.

In a large bowl, mix the cottage cheese and ricotta with the spinach.

In a large pan, put a thin layer of sauce. Lay the dry lasagna noodles on top, making sure not to overlap. Add a layer of cheese and spinach mixture. Repeat this pattern until you run out of ingredients or you get near the top of the pan. Top with shredded cheeses.

Bake at 300°F for 50min. Let cool 10min before eating.

Note: This recipe begs for originality. Feel free to add your own touch by substituting vegetables or cheeses.

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