Original Lasagne

Note: There is no need to cook the noodles, they will cook using the extra liquid from the meat mixture.

Brown ground beef, onion, and garlic until beef is no longer pink. Add sauce, tomato paste, and water.

In a small mixing bowl, stir cottage cheese (or ricotta), egg, and Parmesan cheese until thoroughly combined. Assemble lasagne in a greased lasagne pan as follows:

a bit of meat sauce
noodles (3 or 4 per layer)
1/3 meat sauce
noodles
cottage cheese mixture
noodles
1/3 meat sauce
noodles
1/3 meat sauce
mozzarella cheese

Cover and refrigerate for 2, up to 12 hours. Bake, covered, for 1 1/2 hours at 350ºF. Check near the end of baking time and uncover if necessary. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

You can assemble and bake the lasagne immediately but I like the way the noodles firm up and the flavors blend after sitting.

Note: I have successfully used oven-ready noodles or regular lasagne noodles in this recipe.