Make & Freeze Classic Lasagna

Classic Lasagna

(adapted from Fix, Freeze, Feast)
Makes 4 entrees, 4-6 servings each

Ingredients
1 48-oz container cottage cheese (about 6 cups)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
13 cups Basic Red Sauce (below)
24 lasagna noodles, uncooked
2 pounds lean ground beef, cooked and drained
8 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 12.5" x 6.5" x 3" foil pans
plastic wrap
aluminum foil


Basic Red Sauce Recipe
(Makes approximately 10 cups)

Ingredients
1 12-oz can tomato paste
2 cups hot water
2 Tbsp dried parsley
2 Tbsp minced onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic (about 9 cloves)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes

Mix tomato paste and hot water in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in parsley, onion, garlic, sugar, salt, bail, oregano and thyme. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes; mix well. Do not cook.

{Basic red sauce}

Step 1:
Put the baby in the front carrier.

{Aaaaaand, she's out.}

Step 2:
Combine cottage cheese, eggs, and 2 cups of the Parmesan in a large bowl.

{I'm a doe-head and grabbed Ricotta instead of cottage cheese at Sam's Club. But it still worked great and tasted delicious.}

Step 3:
Lay baking dishes before you and spread 1/4 cup red sauce in the bottom of each.

{Layering the pans}

Step 4:
Assemble all four lasagnas at once in layers in the following order:

Layer 1
2 uncooked noodles
1 cup red sauce
1/2 cup cooked ground beef
3/4 cup cottage cheese mixture
1/2 cup mozzarella

Layer 2
2 uncooked noodles
1 up red sauce
1/2 cup cooked ground beef - or whatever remains
3/4 cup cottage cheese mixture - or whatever remains
1/2 cup mozzarella

Layer 3
2 uncooked noodles
1 cup red sauce - or whatever remains
1 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan

{The finished lasagnas}

Step 5:
Wrap each dish entirely in plastic wrap, then top with foil, label and freeze.

{I made 3 to freeze and 1 for dinner that night}

Cooking instructions
Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dish, then replace foil. Cook thawed dish for 45 minutes at 375 (1 hour if frozen), then remove foil and continue baking until bubbling and cheese is browned.


Cost Breakdown
Ricotta cheese - $4.87 (Sam's Club)
4 Eggs - $0.49 ($1.49/12 at Ream's)
4 packages Kraft shreds - $3.96 ($0.99 each @ Smith's)
Lasagna noodles - $2.09 (Ream's)
2 pounds ground beef - $5.03 (Smith's)
Tomato paste - $1.55 (Ream's)
Garlic - $0.39 (Ream's)
Tomato sauce - $1.95 (Ream's)
Diced tomatoes - $2.15 (Ream's)
= $22.48/24 servings == $0.93 per serving

That's a heck of a lot cheaper than eating out, am I right? Tastier, too. This meal would be even cheaper if you purchased the ground beef, noodles, tomatoes, etc during a stock-up sale (instead of buying them spur of the moment like I did).