Ahh, lasagna. The mother of all pasta noodles. Lasagna and red sauce are probably the most versatile concoction you can prepare in your kitchen. The Cook and Kitchen Staff strongly recommend that you experiment with your fillings and sauces to personalize your dish, then prepare it often in double batches because you can freeze one and eat the other for dinner tonight. Lasagna takes time, attention and patience to prepare, so you may as well make two!

Prepare lasagna noodles as directed on package, making sure to add 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil so noodles do not stick together. Drain lasagna noodles thoroughly and rinse with cold water. Keep noodles in cool water until you are ready to use them.

Cut Mozzarella cheese into thin strips and refrigerate while preparing the sauce. Saute hamburger garlic and onion in a skillet pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Drain to remove fat. Meanwhile, place tomatoes in large pot and crush them with a wooden spoon. Add tomato sauce and spices. Heat sauce slowly over low heat and stir occasionally. Add hamburger and simmer for about 20 minutes.

In a 9: x 13oe baking dish, spoon in just enough sauce to cover dish the bottom. Place a single layer of lasagna noodles over sauce, making sure to overlap about 1/2-inch on each lengthwise row as you move across the width of the baking dish.

Sprinkle a layer of ricotta cheese over the lasagna noodles, then a layer of Mozzarella cheese slices on top of the ricotta cheese. Spoon sauce over the top of the cheeses and repeat lasagna noodle layering process at least two times. Finnish the top of the lasagna with a later of Parmesan cheese and bake for 30 to 45-minutes in a pre-heated oven at 375-F degrees covered. Remove cover and continue to bake for another 15-minutes. Remove lasagna from oven and let set for 5-minutes before slicing to serve with toasted garlic bread and a salad.

Kitchen Staff Tips: For a rich and filling lasagna, add 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms, 1 cup diced green, red or yellow pepper, 1 cup chopped zucchini and 1/2 cup chopped egg plant as a substitute for the meat layer or sauteed separately and added as a center layer to your lasagna and continue to prepare as directed.

For Pepperoni and Spinach Lasagna thaw, rinse and thoroughly dry 1 package of frozen spinach and layer with ricotta and Mozzarella cheeses. Add 1 or 2 layers of browned pepperoni with the sauce layer (with or without the hamburger) and continue to prepare as directed.

For Chicken Lasagna replace hamburger or chopped steak with 2 cups cooked, diced chicken. Combine with onion and garlic and saute. Add a layer of sauteed mushrooms with the chicken (about 1/3 lb. Fresh mushrooms, sliced) and cover with a Bechamel Sauce containing 2 tablespoons butter, 1 to 3 tablespoons flour and 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken broth or cream. Simply Melt butter in a small sauce pan and stir in enough flour for the mixture to form a small ball. Gradually stir in broth until a thick, but pourable sauce is produced. Continue to prepare as directed.

For Mexican Lasagna add spoonfuls of mashed pinto beans with cheddar cheese layers and prepare your meat sauce with hamburger, taco seasoning packet, 10-oz. Tomato puree, 6-oz. Tomato paste and 12-oz. Mild salsa. Season with cumin and chili powder, add dried hot chilies to taste. Layer with soft tortillas rather than lasagna noodles, if desired (but it is a bit soggy.) Also add 1 cup of corn with your sauce, if desired.

For Vegetarian Lasagna, skip the meat and use only the cheese layers with 1 package of frozen spinach that has been thoroughly thawed, drained and dried, and add sauce layers including sauteed 1 cup fresh sliced mushrooms, 1/2 cup bell peppers, 1 cup small broccoli florets, 1 cup cubed zucchini or summer squash and 2 shredded carrots. Liven-up the sauce a bit with 1 or 2 tablespoons each of fresh basil, oregano, Italian parsley and salt and pepper to taste.