Lasagna (Lorraine Harvey's)

A rich, comforting lasagna made with a hearty meat and tomato sauce, layers of mozzarella and a creamy layer of whipped cream cheese. This old-fashioned family-style lasagna is simple to assemble and bakes until hot, bubbly and golden.

Lasagna (Harvey)

Servings: About 8–10
Prep Time: About 30 minutes
Cook Time: About 1 hour 40 minutes, including sauce simmering

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (29-ounce) can tomato puree
• 1 package spaghetti sauce seasoning mix
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1–2 tablespoons milk, as needed
• 2 packages shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ box lasagna noodles
• Grated Parmesan-Romano cheese, for topping

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the ground beef. Cook until the meat is thoroughly browned.
3. Add the tomato puree, tomato paste and spaghetti sauce seasoning mix. Stir well and simmer the sauce gently for 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, place the softened cream cheese in a bowl and add 1 tablespoon milk. Beat with a mixer or whisk until smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too stiff to spread easily, add a little more milk.
5. Prepare the lasagna noodles according to the package directions, if required, and drain well.
6. In a 9 x 17-inch baking dish, assemble the lasagna in the following order:
   • Layer of meat sauce
   • Layer of lasagna noodles
   • Layer of mozzarella
   • Layer of meat sauce
   • Layer of whipped cream cheese
   • Layer of lasagna noodles
   • Layer of mozzarella
   • A small amount of meat sauce over the top
   • Generous sprinkling of Parmesan-Romano cheese
7. Bake at 325°F for 30–40 minutes, until the lasagna is hot and bubbling and the cheese is melted.
8. Let the lasagna rest for about 10–15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Tip: Allowing the lasagna to rest after baking makes it much easier to cut into neat servings and gives the layers time to set.

Source: Lorraine Harvey