Gourmet Family Meals Under $10- Lasagna

This lasagna is a twist on the traditional. Prep time is 15 minutes and another 40 minutes to bake. In less than an hour you have a gourmet family meal that includes an ample amount of all 4 food groups and will serve 6-8.

This is a hearty but healthy meal and it's easy on the budget. The shopping list is below with prices. I did not include salt, pepper, parm cheese, egg, or garlic in the price list as you would not typically buy this small of an amount of any of these and may already have them in your refrigerator. If you have to purchase them, you will get many uses out of even the smallest packages of any of these items. The basil and oregano I grow myself in my herb garden. You can purchase them dried if you want to save a little money and don't have an herb garden.

• Use any meat you like. I like ground pork or ground italian sausage.
• If you want to go vegetarian, replace the meat with eggplant or varieties of squash. Perhaps chopped up veggie burgers.
• Fresh herbs are more flavorful than dried. Try starting your own herb garden to save money and have fresh herbs.
• You can prepare this hours or even a day ahead of time and bake when your ready to eat. Just cover the pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate.

INGREDIENTS

• 8oz. box no boil lasagna noodles (this cost a few pennies more but saves a step. look for them on sale)
• 26 oz. can/jar spaghetti sauce. (use your favorite or look for a deal)
• 1 lb. of ground beef, pork, or turkey. ( I prefer to use pork. It has a lot of flavor and is very lean. If using ground beef try 93% lean)
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 cups shredded or grated parmesan
• 15 oz. of ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 3 Tbsp fresh garlic (use prepared, roasted, or fresh. Chop it or press it)
• 1 medium zucchini
• dried or fresh basil (to taste)
• dried or fresh oregano (to taste)
• salt (to taste)
• Fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown the meat. Drain fat if necessary and set aside.
2. Shred zucchini and set aside.
3. Whisk together egg, ricotta cheese, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper
4. Spread a thin layer of sauce in a 13x9 inch baking dish.
5. Cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of noodles. (they will expand when cooked. do not let the noodles overlap or touch the sides of the baking dish)
6. spread a thin layer of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles
7. spread a layer of ground meat over the ricotta cheese mixture.
8. spread a layer of sauce over the ground meat.
9. spread 1 cup of mozzarella over the sauce.
10. sprinkle 2/3 cup of parmesan over the mozzarella.
11. Cover with a layer of noodles.
12. Repeat steps 6-10 using zucchini in place of meat.
13. Cover with a layer of noodles.
14. Repeat steps 6-10
15. Cover the top with a layer of noodles, sauce, fresh basil, and mozzarella cheese.
16. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at at 350F for 30 minutes.
17. Remove foil. Bake for additional 10 minutes or until cheese is browned.
18. Let stand five minutes before serving.

• If you want to save money, look for the bargains. Often the generic products just need a little extra seasoning. If you are using it as a component of a dish know one will likely taste the difference.
• Use coupons. It adds up.
• Get a "saver" or "members" card if your grocery store offers one. They offer discounts you can only get if you have one.
• Stock up on canned goods, non-perishables, and long shelf life items when they are on sale.