Saturday, March 7, 2009

Meatball Lasagna

9 dried lasagna noodles
1/2 of a 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 16 oz. package frozen cooked Italian-style meatballs (1/2 oz. size), thawed
1 16 oz. jar tomato pasta sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles; rinse with cold water. Drain well; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and the Parmesan cheese; set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together meatballs and one-third (about one cup) of the pasta sauce; set aside.
3. To assemble, spread a small amount of the reserved sauce over bottom of a 2-quart square baking dish. Layer three cooked noodles in the dish. Spoon meatball mixture over noodles. Layer three more noodles over the meatballs. Spread half of the remaining sauce over noodles. Spoon ricotta mixture over the sauce and spread evenly. Top with remaining noodles and remaining sauce.
4. Cover dish with foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle remaining mozzarella over lasagna. Bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes more or until cheese melts. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 to 9 servings.

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