Fabulous Meaty Lasagna

Earlier this week, when the hubby and I were discussing meals--yes, I know it's Thanksgiving week, but we're not prepping Thanksgiving dinner and will be enjoying the hospitality of friends so I figured I might as well go all out--we couldn't exactly come to definitive plans, so I took it upon myself to scour the globe (read: internet) for tasty recipes of something I hadn't made before, that we could agree on eating.  In an effort to make something that I could not mess up, I decided on lasagna.  Now, keep in mind, I'm not a huge fan of lasagna.  I always, no matter how delish everyone else finds it, manage to nit-pick something that I just do not like about it.  It's how I am.  I'm extremely picky.  People must learn to deal with this.

I figured that if I'm making it, I could make little tweeks to the recipe to fit my insane requirements for tastiness.  This recipe is no different, of course.  I decided that any pasta dish should have lots of ground beef in it, because that is just yummy to me, and, low-and-behold, I found Alysia's Basic Meat Lasagna.  Of course I made tweeks to the recipe, and have suggestions for further changes, but here's the recipe (with my comments in red).

Alysia's Basic Meat Lasagna

Makes: 10 servings, approximately
Prep time: 50 min.
Cook time: 45 min.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef I used less, but recommend more... depending on your taste.
1 tsp garlic powder
1 jar sausage-flavored spaghetti sauce (28 oz) I used less, and recommend using more sauce.  I also used marinara flavored sauce.
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic (minced) I used 2 extra large cloves, and a small clove.
1 small onion (diced)
1 package shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz)
8 oz shredded provolone cheese I used an "Italian Cheese mixture" I found at my grocery store.
1 container ricotta cheese (15 oz)
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp dried oregano
9 lasagna noodles This is a rough estimate.  I used more than nine noodles.
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 °F (190 °C).
2. In a skillet over medium heat season ground beef with garlic powder and oregano. Brown the meat and drain.
3. In a large sauce pan add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, and oregano; set aside. In a skillet heat olive oil. Saute garlic and onions for about 5 minutes. Mix sauteed onions and garlic with meat into the sauce and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.  I transferred the meat to a separate bowl, and used the same skillet.  This allowed the onions and garlic to pick up a bit of the meaty flavor.
   
4. Combine mozzarella and provolone cheeses in a medium bowl. In a medium bowl mix ricotta cheese, eggs, milk, and oregano.
5. Layer a 9x13 inch baking pan with just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Lay three lasagna noodles in the pan. Cover with sauce, then with ricotta mixture then sprinkle with mozzarella/provolone mixture; repeat layering. Finish with a layer of noodles and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  I didn't put a layer of sauce between the cheese and the noodles when layering.  I also topped with the rest of the mozzarella/provolone cheese mixture before covering with Parmesan.
   
6. Bake covered in a preheated oven at 375 ° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes. 

 In addition to the lasagna, I baked up some garlic bread and voila, a simple and delicious meal.  Both the hubby and I enjoyed this meal.  I plan to repeat it, with my minor alterations, very soon.  Enjoy!