Nana's Lasagna

My mom's lasagna is comfort food you can make gluten free or vegetarian. Since it uses cottage cheese in place of ricotta, it's also healthier than traditional lasagna. You can use ground turkey or sausage or no meat at all, depending on what you have on hand. You can also add cooked spinach or kale or chopped sweet red peppers to the tomato sauce or as a separate layer. This is a great dish to take to new parents or neighbors since it can freeze easily and be reheated.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. This lasagna cooks in a large 9- x 13-inch pan.

Brown 1 pound ground turkey, sausage or ground beef. Add one jar no-salt spaghetti sauce or make  your own sauce by combining:
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 Tablespoon dried basil
  1 Tablespoon parsley flakes
  1 one-pound can tomatoes, crushed
  1 14.5-ounce can no-salt diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, drained

Add a small can of sliced mushrooms or 1 cup sliced mushrooms, if you wish. Simmer 30 minutes, until thick (or 15 minutes if you use a jar of sauce). Stir occasionally.

Cook 1/2 package lasagna noodles (use rice noodles for gluten-free lasagna) until tender. Drain noodles and rinse in cold water. Or use no-boil noodles right from the package.

Combine:
3 cups cottage cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablepoons parsley
1 beaten egg
1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Place a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover the sauce with half the noodles (three or four), spread with half the cottage cheese mixture, (cover with 1 cup cooked spinach, if you like) cover with 1/2 pound sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese and then cover with half of the sauce. Repeat. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded cheese on top.

Cook at 350 or 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes (1 hour if you use no-boil noodles). Let stand 15 minutes before cutting into squares.

Yield: 10-12 servings.

Refrigerate overnight for tastier lasagna. Lasagna may be frozen and reheated for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.