Meatball Lasagna by Jackie

Posted by carsimulator on Thursday, January 12, 2012

Ingredients:24 meatballs *(see recipe for Jackie's Homemade Meatballs)
4 3/4 cups Ragu**
6 cups cooked bite-size pasta
2 eggs, beaten
1 pint cottage cheese
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
12 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
Parmesan Cheese

Assembly:
Run cottage cheese through the blender to give smooth consistency.
Combine cottage cheese, eggs, and Italian seasoning.
Spoon 1 3/4c. Ragu on bottom of 9x13" baking dish.
Layer remaining ingredients in this order:

Noodles
Cottage cheese mixture
1 c. of the shredded mozzarella
Meatballs
3 cups of Ragu
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. Label and freeze.
Serving Day:
Thaw completely. Remove plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Notes:
*You could use store bought meatballs, but you would need to add more if they are small. I feel like the homemade recipe provides a more flavorful meatball, which makes a more flavorful lasagna.

** This is more than a regular size jar of Ragu, but less than 2 jars. I felt like 1 jar wasn't enough, but 2 was too much. I would just use the leftover sauce for dipping garlic bread, or freeze it for later.