Shortcut Lasagna

If you're a frequent reader you may recall I finally made my first lasagna back in 2009, and to be honest, I haven't made one since. The reason - it's so time consuming!! Now sure, I've made many other time consuming recipes on this blog in the meantime, but I mean lasagna is so time consuming for it to be just some noodles, cheese and sauce.

But when I came back from our vacation and went through my reader (all 2K+ posts!!) I stumbled upon a recipe for Lighhouse Lasagna. Now I decided to read it, because I do like lasagna and am for trying new things. Now this was right up my alley - quick, easy, simple ingredients. I had to make this!

So finally, in January, I made the Lighthouse Lasagna recipe from Lauren's Kitchen food blog. I made it just as she did and let me tell you it was absolutely fantastic! Easy, flavorful, and the leftovers were just as wonderful! I will 100% be making this again, and more frequently - I vow to not let two years go by again before I make this one!

Now this recipe is floating all over the web in a variety of places, and it popped up in my Google Reader many times throughout the month of December. Some called for cheddar cheese on top (um, NO!). Others used more of this, less of that. But this recipe was the perfect balance of cheesy goodness and saucy flavor!

Thanks Lauren - this was a hit!

Lighthouse Lasagna

adapted from Potluck at Midnight Farm and from Lauren's Kitchen

1 pound ground meat - I used ground Turkey

1 small can tomato paste

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

Coarse salt

12 ounces egg noodles

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup sour cream - I used light sour cream

5 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature - I used low fat cream cheese

1 bunch scallions, finely chopped

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese - I used low fat cheese

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sauté the meat until lightly browned in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, and sugar. * Note I also added in here, aside from Lauren's recipe, some black pepper, garlic powder and a little dried basil - it was a very nice addition to the flavor!* Fill the tomato paste can with water and stir it in. Simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.

Boil your egg noodles and drain when done. Then return them to the pot and toss with butter. *Now I don't usually like to toss things with added fat, but I did here, and recommend you do too - it added another layer of richness to the meal that I think you'd miss without it.*

In a small bowl, combined the sour cream, cream cheese, and scallions. Layer the ingredients in the casserole dish- sauce, pasta, cheese mix, sauce, pasta, cheese mix, sauce, mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, the casserole will be set up and the cheese bubbly browned.