Luscious!
½ pound lasagna noodles (9 noodles)
1½ pounds ground beef
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 (1-pound, 12-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (3-ounce) package spaghetti sauce mix
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups ricotta or cottage cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
Cook lasagna noodles as directed on package. Pour off water. Place each noodle carefully on waxed paper to prevent sticking together. Brown ground beef. Add minced garlic and pepper to ground beef. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and spaghetti sauce mix. Simmer about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Set aside 1 cup meat sauce and ½ cup grated mozzarella for later use.
Grease a 9x13-inch pan. Layer one cup meat sauce mixture on bottom of pan. Layer 3 noodles over meat sauce mixture to cover. Layer ½ cup cottage cheese, followed by ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese, over that. Repeat layers a total of three times, ending with the reserved 1 cup meat sauce and ½ cup reserved grated mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 10 to 12 servings.