Cheese Lasagna

Lasagna has always been a favorite of the Davis family.  We just love those melt in your mouth layers of pasta oozing with cheese and garlic infused tomato sauce.  What's not to like - am I right?  

Now that I 'm cooking for just 3 - a giant pan of lasagna just isn't practical.  Unwilling to reserve my lasagna dinners for dinner parties - I was forced to figure out a way to make a more moderately sized lasagna that would serve my small family.  

Instead of baking a lasagna in a traditional 9x13 pan, I made 2 smaller lasagnas.  I baked one pan for dinner last night and tucked the second one in the freezer (unbaked) for another day.  

​Of course, a pan of cheese lasagna is also a great way to say welcome to the neighborhood, feel better soon or congratulations on your new baby.  So whether you keep it for yourself or give it away to a friend in need, a second pan of lasagna is NEVER a bad idea.  

Cheese and Tomato Lasagna
Cheese Sauce
2 cups pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1 cup (8 ounces) cottage cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Tomato Sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon anchovy paste
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1/4 cup tomato paste

Lasagna
1 box lasagna noodles
2 cups fonatina cheese, grated
1/4 pecorino Romano cheese, grated
​3 Tablespoons fresh basil

Whisk all cheese sauce ingredients together and set aside. 

Heat oil in pan and add onion, sugar, red pepper flakes, oregano and salt. 

Add garlic and anchovies.  Cook 2 minutes. 

Stir in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, pecorino and tomato paste.  Simmer 20 minutes. 

Lay noodles in in a 9x13 inch pan.  Cover with boiling water and let sit 15 minutes.  Separate noodles with a knife.   Drain noodles and dry with towel.  

Heat oven to 375.  Spread 3/4 cups sauce in bottom of 2 nine inch square pans.
​  

Lay 4 noodles across the bottom of each pan.  Spread 1/4 of the cheese over noodles in each pan. 

Sprinkle 1/3 of the fontana cheese over cheese sauce. 

​Repeat layers one (or two) more times. Finish with remaining sauce and cheeses. 

Cover with foil and bake 35 minutes at 375.  Remove foil.  Increase heat to 500 and bake an additional 10 minutes. 

Chop basil and sprinkle over pieces of lasagna.  

There were no complaints about this meatless Monday meal.  I really enjoyed this variation on traditional lasagna. Who would have guessed that a lasagna without mozzarella and parmesan could be so delicious?  

​Ciao!

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