Recipe: Poor Man's Lasagna

There is nothing "poor" about this lasagna!  In fact, it is an easy, one-pot meal that serves a crowd in little time.

Years ago, when we lived in rural upstate NY, my mother-in-law told me about a recipe called Poor Man's Lasagna.  It called for some ingredients that didn't quite sound so appetizing, so together we came up with the following dish.  When I did make it during those cold days in update NY, we were four - but the two teenage boys ate enough for two more!

What you need:

• A large Dutch oven or very large stock pot with lid plus a pot to cook the noodles
• 1lb ground beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons chili powder
• 16-oz can tomato sauce  (have an extra 8oz can handy in case you want more "gravy" during the cooking)
• 1 bag (12oz?) wide egg noodles (We like the "wide curly" noodles!)
• 16 oz Mozzarella cheese grated
• 8oz Ricotta cheese (you'll use about 1/2 or 3/4)

Begin:

1. Medium heat: Lightly brown the ground beef in the olive oil, then add the chopped onions and cook.
2. Sprinkle the chili powder and blend well.
3. Add the 16 oz can of tomato sauce and stir, cover. Let simmer about 15-20 minutes. (If needed you can add a little more tomato sauce)
4. Put the water on for the noodles.
5. Grate the Mozzarella cheese (unless you cheated and bought already shredded!) Be sure to set aside about 1/3 of the shredded cheese to finish off the recipe.
6. When the water is boiling, add a little salt with the noodles.  (They cook quickly)
7. When the noodles are done (don't over cook them!), drain and place into the simmering meat sauce.
8. Toss very well.
9. Add handfuls of mozzarella cheese and large dollops of ricotta cheese to the noodle/meat mix and swirl around to blend.  Turn off the heat but keep the pot on the stove.  Add the remaining mozzarella cheese on top and cover to let the cheese melt.

Set your table, put a potholder on the table and bring out the quickest lasagna you've ever made!  Top off each serving with grated Parmesan cheese.  Good heavens, I'm not even hungry and my mouth is watering for this old-time favorite!

Enjoy!

Fifi