The Speares

Living the life in Muskoka


Lasagna


For two. You can also make the quick version or the full recipe.



Get your blanching water heating up in a big soup pot. Then start making a one-egg batch of pasta sheets. You'll need four noodles, which you should have just enough pasta for. Cut your noodles a little bit smaller than your baking pan, which should be an 8x6 1.5 litre glass one. The easiest way to cut your noodles is to put them in the pan and cut to fit using a steak knife. Since pans are narrower at the bottom this will result in a slightly-too-small noodle which will turn into a slightly-too-big noodle after blanching.


Blanch two noodles at a time for two minutes and let dry on wire rack.

Carry on. Pour the water out of your soup pot, add some butter and fry up:


  • 1 minced onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, smushed and minced

Sweat off any liquid. Then add

  • ½ green pepper chopped
  • 1 540 ml can spicy red pepper tomatoes
  • 1 156 ml can tomato paste
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • ¼ tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp fennel seed crushed
  • 1/8 tsp (a pinch) salt
  • 1/8 tsp (a pinch) pepper

Get it simmering slowly. Use a different pan to fry up

  • ½ pound meat (sausage, beef, pork, whatever)

With the brand of sausage I typically have in the freezer this is 4 sausages. Drain grease and add meat to simmering sauce. Let the sauce bubble gently until it is the consistency you like then turn off the burner. It should be not soupy, not dry.

When your sauce is ready to go, mix together in medium bowl

  • 1 small egg
  • 2x113g Snack-size Cottage Cheese (or 250 g ricotta)
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • ½ tbsp dried parsley

Good time to preheat oven to 375. Then have handy your sauce, cottage cheese mixture and


  • ½ pkg (1 - 1 1/2 cups) shredded cheese
  • the noodles

To assemble: spread 1/2 cup of meat sauce in bottom of 8 x 6 1.5 l baking dish. Add a sheet of home-made noodle kind of centered and tamped down as it is slightly too big. Then another 1/2 cup of meat sauce and another noodle. Then spread half of the cottage cheese mixture (about 1/2 cup) over the top noodle, followed by 1 cup of meat sauce and 1/2 cup of shredded cheese. Another noodle, the rest of the cheese mixture, more meat sauce and shredded cheese. Last layer of noodle, the rest of the meat sauce and some more shredded cheese. Sprinkle with

  • more parmesan cheese



Stick 5 toothpicks in the lasagna - one in each corner and one in the middle - about half way. Make a kind of a circus tent by placing foil on the toothpicks, which will hold the foil off the cheese. Stick your creation in the oven and bake for


30 minutes at 375

uncover, remove toothpicks, and bake for an additional


30 minutes at 375

Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting.


Come'n'get it! Recipe freezes nicely prior to baking and can be cooked from frozen - give it more time covered with foil. Serve with Caesar Salad.