Lasagna is Supposed to be EASY

     Someone, from Newfoundland of all places - how many Italians do you think live in Newfoundland? - said to me years ago, astonished that I didn't make lasagna weekly, that it's "SO EASY". Well, I was astonished, too, because I thought lasagna was a labor of love. Raised in a small town in south Georgia - how many Italians do you think live in this small town in south Georgia? - I had a recipe for lasagna. Yes, a recipe. It was shared with my mother by the one lady of Italian descent in our town. When I made lasagna, I painstakingly adhered to this recipe, cooking the noodles separately, mixing the ricotta with eggs, always having lots of pots and pans to clean up and just a little more volume than my 13x9x2 pan could hold. Hence, I seldom made lasagna.
     After moving to the west coast of Canada for the second time, just a few years ago, we made a friend who set out to perfect his 'lasagna' recipe and we were the fortunate recipients of several of his attempts. But it wasn't what I considered traditional Italian lasagna; for one thing, he added veggies and used cheddar! I was shocked. I was also full. It was delicious. Thanks, Mike.
     One week not so long ago, a service that delivers organics to our door added fresh sheets of lasagna noodles to their catalog. The last vestige of my resistance was wiped out. I was making lasagna that week. And I wasn't using The Recipe.
    My Newfoundlander friend was right. Lasagna is so easy.

Here's how I now throw together a scrumptious pan of lasagna at the drop of a hat:
(don't feel like you need to follow the recipe - just have fun with it)

SAUCE:

Brown
1 lb ground beef, preferably grass fed (much healthier) - use a large skillet

Add
1 lg can diced organic tomatoes
salt & ground black pepper to taste
a palm-full each dried or fresh oregano and
     basil - other herbal additions if you like
1/4-1/2 t garlic powder, or fresh/minced garlic
1/2 - 3/4 small can organic tomato paste to thicken
may need to add 1/2 - 1 t sugar to calm acidity

I usually let this simmer for about half an hour or longer, stirring occasionally. And I often make it a day ahead.

COMPILING:

Spray lasagna pan with olive oil spray.
Smear just a little sauce in the bottom to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Start layering:

Pasta - prefer fresh as there's no need to pre-cook, oven-ready is ok but make
     the sauce a little soupier
1/3 of sauce - it usually looks like not enough sauce, but it'll be ok, I promise.
1/3 box fresh baby spinach - yes, I use an entire clear plastic box - 125g I think (1/4 lb)
1 container ricotta (about 1 lb)
pasta
1/3 sauce
1/3 box spinach
shredded parmesan  - a generous sprinkle, but as it's pungent, not as much as
     the other cheeses
pasta
1/3 sauce
1/3 box spinach
mozzarella (about 1/2 lb, but keeping in mind there's no such thing as too much)

Notes and cooking times:
       I use organic cheeses when possible, and it's worth looking for a mozza that actually has flavor. I was delightfully surprised when I ordered organic mozza from the same place I get the pasta, to find it was creamy, nutty and flavorful. Who knew?
       Also, last night I used oven-ready dried pasta from the grocery store. Disappointing, but it's what was available. I found I had to cook the lasagna over an hour to get the pasta done, and so it needed to be covered with foil. With fresh pasta, I only cook it about half an hour. Also, you might leave out the tomato paste or use only 1/4-1/2 can if using oven-ready dried pasta, so there's more liquid available for it to absorb. The fresh pasta is also more flavorful, so if you find a source for it, you can even freeze it so you have some on hand whenever the lasagna craving strikes. It thaws quickly; just drop the pkg into water the same as for frozen meat.