Baked Lasagna With Red Wine

Welcome back to Cheryl’s kitchen, where the food is always good and the kitchen is always a mess. Since this is the first recipe I’m sharing with you, I wanted it to be special. This is a recipe that my mom found in our local newspaper over 35 years ago. Since there were a lot of Italian families in our area, I knew it had to be good. I was right…for once!

Baked Lasagna

3 cloves chopped garlic

1# ground round steak

1 28 oz can tomato puree

1 6 oz can tomato paste and 1 can water

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp basil

¼ cup red wine, plus one full glass for the cook

2 tsp salt

½ cup fresh Romano cheese

1# ricotta cheese

8 oz mozzarella cheese

1# box oven ready lasagna noodles

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13x9x2 baking pan or spray with cooking spray or olive oil. Brown the meat with the garlic in a large pot. Combine the onion and tomato puree in a blender and blend until smooth. Add to the meat mixture along with the tomato paste, water, oregano, basil salt, and wine. (You might want to refresh the cook’s glass while you’re at it). Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Cover the bottom of the pan with 1/3 of the meat sauce. Grate Romano cheese evenly over it. (Ahhh, who am I kidding? I use the pre-grated stuff  from the deli, but please don’t tell anyone. It’s one of my ninja secrets). Place a layer of noodles over it the meat and Romano. Spread ½ of the ricotta over noodles. Grate 4 oz of mozzarella over the ricotta. (If you really feel the need to grate your own mozzarella, go right ahead. I prefer taking advantage of the modern conveniences of cutting corners and buy a package of grated cheese. No, it’s not cheating. Besides, in my martial arts training we had a saying that if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying. I believe the same applies to cooking). Repeat, ending with meat sauce and Romano.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour at 350. This gives you enough time to kick back, put your feet up, and enjoy one more glass of wine, just in case it is calling your name. When it’s done, remove the foil and let it stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy, because you certainly deserve it!