McCoy Lasagna...

I'm not certain that this lasagna recipe is unique to our household, but I DO know that everytime I make it for someone, they look me like I just fell off the back of a truck on its way to the loony bin. It's non-traditional lasagna, for sure. But I can ALSO say, that every last one of those people who looked at me like I was nuts while I was making it wound up loving it...and most asked for the recipe afterwards. So...yeah. I prefer it to more traditional lasagna with ricotta. Plus it's easier and faster. And I LOVE easier and faster...it's my favorite thing :)

McCoy Lasagna
8 servings, 435 calories each

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. ground beef (the leaner the better...I use 95%)
- 1 can peas
- 1 tub cottage cheese
- 1 bag shredded cheddar
- 1 bag shredded mozzarella
- 1 jar pasta sauce
- 1 pkg. dry lasagna noodles (you're really only using 8 or 9 noodles)
- Seasonings (your preference)

Directions:

Brown the ground beef on the stovetop. Add pasta sauce and seasonings to ground beef (here's where the lean part comes in...if you didn't use super lean, you'll need to drain it first...save yourself a step!) and simmer 10-15 minutes. Now it's time to start layering!




















1st Layer - Dry Noodles....yes, you read that right...dry...we're keeping it fast and easy here!




















2nd Layer - 1/2 of ground beef mixture
3rd Layer - Cottage Cheese (to taste)
4th Layer - Peas (to taste...do not drain peas...the extra liquid is important for helping cook the noodles)
5th Layer - 1/2 bag of shredded cheddar
6th Layer - 1/2 bag of shredded mozzarella
Repeat Layers

Do yourself a favor and put the whole pan on top of a cookie sheet...I promise you from experience, it's no fun if it cooks over in your oven. Cover with foil (make sure to tent the foil, or you'll just melt it into all of your cheese) and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15-20 minutes. And whatever you do, make sure to let it cool before you cut it, or it's going to be a mess!

It's a good size portion, so I'm not adding a side to this one. Enjoy :)