Make My Day Camp: Lasagna Casserole

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Lasagna Casserole

We are still in Florida camping - on our way down I wanted to bring some prepared meals so we didn't have to cook too much on the road. This is one of the dishes I made and froze ahead of time; by the time we were set up at an overnight campground I didn't want to take the hour to bake it so I heated it in the microwave and it turned out great. It made a lot, and even tho we were hungry and ate a lot of it, there were plenty of leftovers for breakfast the next morning :)

1 pound ground beef
1 t. minced dried onion
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound rigatoni, cooked according to package directions
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, cubed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 T. Italian seasoning blend
1 jar pasta sauce

In a large skillet, cook beef and dried onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink, breaking into crumbles; drain. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.

In a bowl, combine the cooked pasta, 2 cups shredded mozzarella, ricotta cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning. Transfer to a greased shallow 13x9 or 3-quart baking dish. Top with cooked beef and pasta sauce.

Cover and bake at 350' for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and mozzarella chunks. Bake, uncovered, until bubbly and cheese is melted, 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Note: to freeze the casserole - follow the above directions except sprinkle with the remaining cheese, before covering and then freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Bake in a preheated 350' oven as directed, increasing time as necessary until heated through.

The noodles are precooked and layered with cheeses, meat, and sauce - I didn't read the recipe thru and added the noodles to the cooked meat instead of the cheese layer, it wouldn't have made a difference since it cooks together as a casserole but I didn't want to mess it up and picked all the noodles out of the meat!