Vodka Bolognese Lasagna

Sometimes I like to make the sauce from scratch but sometimes I just don't have time. If you use a quality jarred sauce and diced or crushed tomatoes, it will still be delicious. So here is my easy version of lasagna.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb ground beef

1 oz. fresh basil, chopped

14.5 oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (I used Muir Glen)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

24 oz. bottle of vodka pasta sauce (I used Via Roma)

1 lb mozzarella, shredded

2 lb ricotta

8 oz oven ready lasagna

non-stick spray (PAM or other brand)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Add diced onion. Saute until translucent, then add garlic.

Add ground beef.

Brown ground beef. Drain out grease. The best way to do this is to move the beef to one side of the pan and tilt the pan. Scoop out with a large spoon into a disposable container and wait to cool and solidify before putting in the trash.

Add jar of vodka sauce and diced tomatoes.

Stir well and add chopped fresh basil and dried oregano.

Stir again. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Set up your lasagna assembly station. 

In a 9x13 inch pan, layer a few scoops of the vodka bolognese sauce until the bottom of the baking pan is covered. 

Cover with 3 lasagna noodles.

Put a generous dollop of ricotta cheese on each noodle and spread out evenly.

Cover with shredded mozzarella.

Do another layer. This time use less sauce.

Do 2 more layers, but for the last layer do it in this order: pasta, ricotta, sauce, then mozzarella.

Measure out a piece of foil, and spray with non-stick spray to prevent cheese from sticking.

Cover lasagna and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes.

Let lasagna sit for about 15 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parmesan if desired. I usually just put out parmesan and let people put on as much as they want.

Serve with a salad and garlic bread! I made my garlic bread with 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/4 c. softened butter, chopped fresh basil and dried parsley. Mix butter with other ingredients and spread on french bread. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, then turn up to 500 degrees for an additional 2 minutes. If you make the garlic bread while the lasagna is resting after it comes out of the oven, then everything should be ready at the same time.