Leftover Lasagna

This is a four layer lasagna that I made from mainly leftovers. This recipe is neither inventive or gourmet by any means. This is a soulful, feel good meal to bring you out of any funk. Lasagna definitely makes it to the top ten of my soul food list. What's your soul food?

Ingredients:
6 boiled lasagna pasta sheets
1 pack of ground beef or last night's meat loaf
1 zucchini (because it's what I found in the fridge)
1/2 red onion chopped
2 roma tomatoes chopped
6 grape tomatoes chopped
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
2 large handfuls of rapini (Italian bitter green, kind of like Chinese greens)
1 container of ricotta cheese
1 cup of grated mozarella cheese
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
1/2 can of tomato paste
Garlic, basil, salt, pepper to taste

The sauce:
Saute garlic, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, basil and tomato paste. Add 1 cup of water. Cook under low-medium heat for 10 minutes, enjoy the beauty of simmering. =) Add salt and pepper to taste. You may even want to add red pepper flakes. I also like to add a drop of balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup of red wine.

The filling:
Add Zuchini, ground beef, rapini to the sauce. Cook for another 7 minutes at medium heat. Turn off the stove and add ricotta cheese. We don't want the ricotta to melt completely, but just to be blended in nicely with the rest of the filling.

The layering:
In a long, deep pan, add a splash or two of olive oil. Place lasagna pasta sheets horizontally to cover the base of the entire pan. Spoon in sauce to cover the entire pan. Add mozarella cheese, but make sure you have enough to top the top with. Repeat layering instructions until you've reached the top. In general, lasagas are 4-6 layers high. Make sure you top the lasagna generously with mozarella and paremesan cheese.



Food to my soul.