Classic Lasagna

Last week, I took this lasagna to my husbands friends place while they watched the game. I love cooking for the boys... they are typically grateful and not concerned with calories. I tweaked this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis' first cookbook, Every Day Italian. This recipes serves about 4 boys or 6 to 8 girls. With a simple green salad, it makes a meal. It can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to bake.

~ 1/2 package of lasagna noodles, cooked according to package directions.

1 to 2 jars of marinara sauce, or about 15-20 oz of your own.

1 10 oz package of ricotta cheese

1 6 oz package of frozen chopped spinach

3 eggs, beaten

1 lb ground beef

1/2 large sweet onion, chopped.

~ 2 cups of mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

After cooking the noodles, layer them on damp paper towels to keep them moist and prevent them from sticking together. Set aside until ready to use.

Brown hamburger meat with onion, salt, and pepper. After the meat is browned, mix with ~ 1/2 jar of tomato sauce.

Thaw the spinach and drain it well (I pop it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, put it in a kitchen towel, and squeeze it until most of the liquid is removed), mix with ricotta cheese and eggs.

To assemble lasagna: Spread ~ 1/2 cup of tomato sauce into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Place 3 lasagna noodles in the bottom of the dish, pour hamburger meat mixture over the noodles. Cover with another layer of noodles, pour ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles and spread evenly. Cover with another layer of lasagna noodles. Pour tomato sauce over the noodles, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake for about 45 minutes.