Photo by Karen Hermann
Serves 6
9 lasagna noodles, cooked
Meatballs (store-bought or homemade, enough to cover bottom of casserole dish), cut in half
3 cups marinara sauce, store-bought or homemade
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped fresh basil leaves
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, cook noodles according to directions. Drain, and rinse well with cold water.
In the bottom of an 8-inch-by-8-inch casserole dish, spread ½ cup sauce. Cut 3 noodles to fit casserole, and lay over sauce. Cover noodles with half the meatballs, 1 cup sauce, 1 cup mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan. Continue with another layer of noodles, meatballs, sauce and cheeses. Finish with a layer of noodles, remaining ½ cup of sauce and ¼ cup Parmesan. Cover with foil. (At this point, lasagna can be frozen and saved. Allow to defrost thoroughly before cooking.)
Bake 45 minutes. Uncover, and cook an additional 30 minutes or until lasagna bubbles along sides of dish. Allow to set 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle top with chopped basil to serve.