Mrs. King's Lasagna - Updated

Mrs. King's Lasagna

UPDATED 2020

Last Friday, for the first time, Tom made Mrs. King's lasagna using the recipe here on the blog. I am the one who has usually made it over the years --- and  he made a good substitution :  ricotta for the cottage cheese --- which made the sauce silkier. 

Plus there were several other areas in the recipe that would benefit from clarification, so I am reposting it.

You can also substitute a jar of spaghetti sauce, like Newman’s Tomato and Basil for the tomato paste.  

Sometimes I add a chopped spinach to the cheese and egg mixture. 

I use lots of basil so the basil flavor really comes through in the sauce.

The nutmeg is a really nice touch, so I would not omit it.  Dried parsley works just as well as fresh parsley.

Also don't make a whole box of lasagna noodles, you will just end up wasting them.  8 ounces or half a box is enough to make the lasagna. 

DeCecco is the best

—- Barbara

Mrs. King's Lasagna (Updated)
(From our neighbor, when I was growing up.  Her husband worked with our dad.)

Serves 6 to 8

1/2 lb. lasagna noodles (DeCecco is best) (12 pieces)

2 T. cooking oil

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped

1 lb. ground beef, pork and veal mix (meatloaf mix)

2 1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 T. dried basil

1 1/2 cups water

2 6-ounce cans of tomato paste (with Italian herbs, if desired)

2 eggs, beaten

1 pint cottage cheese (or ricotta)

1 package frozen spinach, cooked and squeezed dry
1/8. t. freshly ground nutmeg

1 T. minced fresh parsley or 1/2 T. dried parsley
1/2 lb. mozzarella, shredded
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Heat water for lasagna while you prepare the meat sauce, and the cottage cheese/egg sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in skillet, cook onion with a pinch of salt until soft. Add garlic and cook a minute it two more.  Add meat and basil and salt and pepper and cook until crumbly, and no longer pink.  

Add tomato paste and hot water. (Or a jar of pasta sauce.)

Simmer 5 minutes or so and set aside.

Blend beaten eggs with cottage cheese (or ricotta for a silkier sauce) in bowl.  Add spinach, if using, and mix well. Add nutmeg and parsley and stir to mix. 

Cook noodles as directed and drain. Usually 8-10 minutes.

In a baking dish (9x13x2) put a thin layer of meat sauce, then 4 noodles, overlapping each a little. 

Then all of the cottage/ricotta cheese mixture.  Top with 1/3 of the remaining meat mixture.   Add a layer of 4 more noodles. 

Add 1/2 of the remaining meat mixture. Top with half the shredded mozzarella. 

Add the last 4  noodles, the rest of the meat mixture. And top with the remaining mozzarella. Finally, sprinkle the parmesan on top.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until bubbly all around and browning on top. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle fresh parsley on top, if desired. 

Serve it with a nice salad. 

B