cheesy beef lasagna from hunt's®

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• pam® original no-stick cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/3 cup water, divided
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh italian (flat-leaf) parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck beef (80% lean)
• 3/4 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans hunt's® petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 1/2 cups hunt's® tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 9 dry lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 2 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup kraft® grated parmesan cheese

Recipe

Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Ready Time: 2 hrs


• preheat oven to 350 degrees f. spray 13x9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. combine ricotta cheese, 2 tablespoons water, parsley and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in small bowl; set aside.
• heat large skillet over medium-high heat. add beef and onion; sprinkle with italian seasoning, salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. cook 7 minutes or until beef is crumbled and no longer pink, stirring occasionally. add garlic; cook 1 minute more or until fragrant. drain. add undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, remaining water, vinegar and red pepper flakes to skillet. reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• assemble lasagna by spreading about 1 cup meat sauce over bottom of dish. place 3 dry noodles over sauce, top with 2 cups meat sauce, half of ricotta mixture, 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. repeat layers, ending with a layer of noodles topped with remaining sauce and remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
• spray underside of aluminum foil with cooking spray; cover dish tightly with foil. bake 45 minutes. remove foil and bake 15 minutes more or until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly. let stand 15 minutes before serving.