Lasgana 

educationblog

This week I made lasagna. This is my moms recipe and I highly recommend it. It tastes just like home and is exactly what I needed after a long week.

Cook time: 1 hour

Meals: 3-6

Rating: ★★★★★

Ingredients

Sauce 

  • 2.5-3 pounds of ground beef
  • Salt 
  • Pepper 
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 cans tomato paste
  • 1 tsp basil
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 2 tsp parsley flakes
  • 2 celery (whole)
  • 2 medium bay leaves
  • 4 cloves whole

Other

  • Lasagna noodles
  • Mozzarella cheese

Start by browning the meat with salt and pepper, to taste, sugar and onions. Once the ground beef is brown add everything else from the sauce list into the pot. I didn’t have any parsley flakes so I chose not to add them this time. Cover your sauce and simmer for 30 minutes. I let my simmer on 3 heat.

If you plan on eating the lasagna tonight instead of freezing it, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

While the sauce is simmering, cook your lasagna noodles by bringing your water to a boil and adding them. Cook until they are soft. 

Once your sauce is done simmering, remove the celery stalks, bay leaves and cloves.

To assemble it, use your tin pan, start by putting a layer of sauce followed by noodles, sauce, cheese, noodle, sauce, cheese. I personally like to add lots of cheese in my middle layer but assemble it how you prefer. I also use grated cheese as I find it spreads easier in the middle layer compared to slices of cheese.

At this point you can either freeze your lasagna for a delicious freezer meal to use when you don’t have time to cook or you can eat it now. If you plan to eat it now, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and cook for 1 hour. If you are defrosting it, make sure to take it out to thaw in the morning then cook it at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

This meal was amazing. It was exactly what I needed after a long week. It was warm and comforting while reminding me of home. The leftovers were perfect and easy to reheat making a great meal prep. The problem with this meal is that it doesn’t hit all of the food group requirements. Because of this I made sure to eat it with a side caesar salad even if it was annoying to have to pack two different lunch containers. Maybe next time I’ll look into how to make a vegetable lasagna. 

Using meals like this is a great way to incorporate math into the classroom. There are many seasonings that need to be measured and fractions that can be adjusted. Ask students what the new recipe would be if I wanted to make 12 pieces instead of 6. You can also look at the physical health and wellness curriculum as it covers important topics on eating well and from all the food groups. This is why it is so important to pair the lasagna with a side salad. 

I hope you enjoyed this week’s meal prep!