Cheese lasagna

This is actually something I made before Pesach, when I was trying to use up my leftover chametz. It was my first attempt ever at making a lasagna and it was, in fact, delicious. 

A lot of people boil their lasagna noodles first. You are welcome to do this if that is your minhag. My mother never did, so I followed her advice. As long as you add plenty of sauce – and with lasagna there's rarely such a thing as too much sauce – then you can put the noodles in dry and they will soften up as you cook the lasagna.

Lasagna

1 box lasagna noodles
1 large container ricotta cheese
1 8 oz bag shredded mozzarella
2 jars tomato sauce
Fresh basil leaves
1 container Parmesan cheese
Dry red pepper flakes
1 lasagna pan
Non-stick cooking spray
Garlic powder



Start off by lightly spraying your pan with the non-stick spray. Lay out one layer of noodles to fit the tray. You may have to lay some horizontal and some vertical, depending on the size of your tray.

Cover the layer of noodles with tomato sauce. Remember, the more sauce, the easier the noodles will cook.

Evenly spread a layer of ricotta over the sauce. Lay out some basil leaves on top of the ricotta Sprinkle with the garlic powder, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes.  Cover with a layer of mozzarella.

Add another layer of noodles and repeat the process above until you have built a lasagna to your desired height. I put about five layers in mine. To avoid overpowering the flavors of the sauce, I recommend adding the basil, garlic, and red pepper only to every other layer.

Cover the top layer with sauce and then cover with mozzarella and Parmesan and a few pieces of basil. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half, or until the noodles have softened.