First things first: Lasagna is singular, lasagna is the plural.  But the dish that we consume is typically referred to in the singular, perhaps originating from the Greek “lasanon,” which, amusingly, meant “chamber pot.”

The British, though, claim that the word comes from the word “loseyns,” referring to large flat sheets of pasta separated by a cheese sauce.  No tomatoes in the earliest British version, as tomatoes were not known in Britain until some 200 years later, after Columbus brought them to Europe in 1492.

Conversely, the Italians claim that there are records of lasagna that date back to around 1320, created and penned by Maria Borgogno in Genoa, with the etymology deriving from the Greek “lasagnum” (closely related to “lasanon” and used to refer to a cooking pot—rather than chamber pot!)

Did you know that lasagna is the favorite dish of the cartoon character Garfield?  That crazy cat will do anything for the delectable taste of tomato sauce, cheese, and pasta!  And did you know that you can avoid a reaction with acidic tomato sauce by using a glass or ceramic dish to bake your casserole instead of metal?  And—crazy as it sounds—there is a way to make lasagna IN YOUR DISHWASHER (go ahead and Google it, you know you want to!)  Or you can make lasagna with uncooked noodles, cutting down drastically on the prep time.

Whether you say “lasagna” or “lasagne,” whether you credit the dish to the British or to the Italians, whether you use tomatoes or other ingredients in your casserole, or whether you cook your lasagna in the oven or the dishwasher, there is no denying this single fact:  Lasagna rocks!!

Ingredients:

•  1 pound lean ground beef and/or ground sausage
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can mushrooms, drained (4.5 ounce)
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce (28 ounce)
• 1 container cottage cheese (16 ounce)
• 1 container part-skim ricotta cheese (16 ounce)
• Grated Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup)
• 2 eggs
• Mozzarella cheese (8 ounce)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet, cook and stir ground beef until brown. Add mushrooms and onions; saute until onions are transparent. Stir in pasta sauce, and heat through.
3. In a medium size bowl, combine cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, and eggs.
4. Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 13×9 inch pan. Layer with uncooked lasagna noodles, cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese, and meat sauce. Continue layering until all ingredients are used, reserving 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Uncover, and top with remaining half cup of mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings

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