Easy Lasagna AND Breadsticks

My family loves lasagna and now I love to make it. Not cooking the noodles really speeds things up... and don't chicken out like I did my first few times making it... it really does work! Not cooking the noodles first also allows you to make it all in the serving dish minimizing clean up.

If you want bread sticks start the bread dough before you start the Lasagna. I used my Whole Wheat Bread recipe (what else would I use?) I used half a recipe to make the basket full above and made the other half into bread. We fed 8 adults and had a few left over.

Prep time 15- 20 min. Cook time 90 min. Set 10 min.
Lasagna Ingredients
1 bottle/can of your favorite spaghetti sauce (my family likes Hunts)
1 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 lb ground beef, cooked and drained*
10 1/2 regular lasagna noodles
24 oz container fat free cottage cheese (substitute higher fat if desired) undrained
4 cups (ish) grated cheese (mozzarella or jack/cheddar, whatever I have on hand.)
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x12 pan with pam.

Pour about 2/3 of the crushed tomatoes in the bottom of the 9x12 pan.
Place three dry lasagna noodles on top of the tomatoes with a half one across the end.
Top noodles with half of the cottage cheese, a cup and a half shredded cheese and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Put cooked hamburger meat on top of the cheese. Top with remainder of the crushed tomatoes and enough of the spaghetti sauce to barely cover the cheese. Top with more noodles and repeat the layers once more. Place noodles on top of the cheese once more, top with remaining sauce and remaining cheese. Cover with foil making it higher in the middle so it does not stick to the cheese. Cook for 1 hour in the center of the oven (I often put a cookie sheet under the pan just in case it boils over). Remove the foil and continue to bake for 30 more minutes. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

For the Bread Sticks
Start dough 2 - 2 1/2 hours before you want to eat. (I have done it in less time and it still works but don't skimp on your rising time) About 1 hour before you want to eat spray a cookie sheet with Pam. Roll half a batch of dough out until it's a little smaller than the cookie sheet. Use a large knife to cut the dough in about 1 inch strips (going the short way if you want more bread sticks or the long way if you want to be fancy). Place the strips on the cookie sheet, spray the tops liberally with Pam and sprinkle with Garlic Seasoning, or leave plain. Set in warm place and allow to rise for about 30 min. Bake in a 350 oven for 15 to 20 min. (I have put it in with the Lasagna for the last 10 min of "Lasagna cooking time" and it works just fine.) You can also sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar after cooking and/or drizzle with frosting.

*I usually buy the 91% lean ground beef "yesterday's grind" in bulk (way cheaper per pound), cook it all that day with dried onion and then drain it and freeze it in a ziploc sandwich sized bag. When I need ground beef I just pull out a baggie, microwave for 2 min and wallah!

Calzones

On a trip back from St. George we stopped at a little place in Cedar City called Bruno's
It's actually connected to a gas station... but I got a calzone there and it was so yummy!
I played around a little and this is what I came up with:
This recipe makes about 10 medium size calzones.
(It can be done with one person but goes really fast with a helper)

Make half a batch of bread dough (or make a whole batch and use half to make a loaf of bread, faux foccacia or bread sticks - more details on that later)

Allow dough to rise once before you cut it into 10 even parts.

About 15 min or so before dough is ready chop and prepare the toppings you want in your calzone. (cheese, Ham, pepperoni, bacon, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, olives, spinach, onions, artichoke hearts, BBQ chicken ... whatever you like or have on hand) Set it aside.

Preheat oven to 400.

Roll each dough ball into a thin circle. I like to lift and turn the dough as I go (I use a little pam on the counter and my rolling pin for my first one but the dough should not be sticky). Rolling it thin makes for a crispy crust and also allows it to cook quickly. It sould be about the size of a small plate.

Spray a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with pam and place the dough on the pan. ( I stretch it a little more here too). Put the desired toppings on one half in the middle, keeping it away from the edge. Wet your finger (you could use a pastry brush) and wet the edge of the calzone.

Stretch the other half gently over the top and press to seal the calzone.
Note: I tried to make these with sauce inside but could never get them to seal well, so now I serve sauce on the side.


If you want to identify what is inside you can use a fork to make initials in the top. When the pan is full, spray the whole thing with Pam and bake at 400 for about 13 min, until golden brown.

You can see in the picture at the top that I wanted to try once again to put the sauce inside - and it leaked...

These are great for a meal on the go as well as snacks.

Note: If you have two people, one can do the rolling while the other fills and seals.