My famous, favorite lasagna!

02/25/2018

     One thing I clearly remember from my childhood is having wonderful, delicious Stoffer’s Lasagna with Meat and Sauce often on Sundays after church. My mom would make a “family size” tray of it in case my older sisters would come down to our house (making six people total in our immediate family). There was always plenty of food, whether or not my sisters came over. I have fond memories of eating lasagna with my family regularly.

     A few months after I got married and we moved into our own place, I had a strong craving for lasagna, but I wanted to make it homemade. As my blog name states, I am a little bit of a “whole grain freak.” I went to a well known “fresh-format” grocery store with my roommate/best friend that I presumed would have the type of noodles I was looking for. We didn’t find any, so we went to our version of Cub Foods and searched and searched for the ingredients I was looking for (has anyone else never had ricotta cheese?). We finally found whole wheat lasagna noodles, and they were ready to bake, instead of having to boil them on the stove first (yay!).

     I will say that lasagna takes a very long time to make, but when it is done right, it is so worth it. This recipe is adapted from Betty Crocker (original recipe here: and I always only make a half batch because it makes so much. Also, the recipe that I have provided below is probably the easiest way to make lasagna since there is no dicing tomatoes.

     Here is a fun fact: lasagna freezes extremely well! Go ahead and completely cook and bake the lasagna. When it has cooled, portion it, wrap it in plastic wrap, and pop those babies in the freezer until you get another craving. This works perfectly in my house as one batch makes more than I can eat in a week.

     Finally, I will say this to brag: my husband said he did not like lasagna, and when he tried mine, he said it was the best lasagna he has ever had, so I think this is a pretty famous and winner lasagna recipe.

½ lb lean ground beef or chicken

½ onion

1 clove garlic

1-1 ½ tablespoons parsley (my favorite spice!)

1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

1 15oz can of your choice of pasta sauce

Whole wheat lasagna noodles (I typically use 6, but you can do 9. Oven ready, if possible)

1 cup ricotta cheese

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella (or pepperjack)

1. Cook meat, onion, and garlic on medium-high heat until no pink is left. Drain if necessary.
2. Add in parsley, sugar if using, and pasta sauce. Heat until boiling. 
3. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes uncovered. This will be messy!
4. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Cook noodles now according to package if you need to.
5. Mix all cheeses together in small or medium bowl.
6. In casserole dish, layer the sauce mixture, noodles, and cheese. Repeat one or two times until all ingredients have been used.
7. Cover with tin foil or oven-safe lid. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let cool slightly, serve, and enjoy!

This recipe makes roughly 14 portions. At only 168 calories each, you can feel free to have seconds! This is with 93% ground beef and whole fat ricotta. The following nutritional facts reflect this and use 6 lasagna noodles and do not include sugar.

7g of fat

13g of carbohydrates

13g of protein

     I started this blog as a memoir to share some of my life stories with you. My goal is that these encourage and educate you on how to live a more joyful, healthier, full life; one of hope.

     I write about my fascination with whole foods, my love of Jesus, my struggles, my childhood stories, my passion for education, and my devotion to creating a healthy life (body, mind, and spirit) for every person in the world.