Braces Friendly Recipe: Week 36

Hi everyone! We hope everyone is having a great week so far. As the summer is quickly coming to a end, and the new school year is quickly approaching, every one's lives are getting very busy. Which is why we chose this particular recipe for this week. It is a personal recipe of Januari's and it is a crowd pleaser.  

Meat and Four Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 box no boil lasagna noodles

1 jar marinara sauce (or other favorite red sauce)

1 cup hot water (to add to sauce)

1 16 oz package part skim ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

dash of milk (will be added to cheese mixture)

1 lb ground turkey or lean beef

seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, dried parsley, and dried thyme- all to personal taste. Can omit any seasoning for personal preference or allergy. 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In saucepan cook ground turkey or beef thoroughly. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder while cooking. Once cooked through, add jar of marinara and cup of hot water. Heat until boiling.

3. While sauce is heating, in a medium-large bowl mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan, and 1/2 grated Parmesan. Add a dash or two of milk to help combine mixture. Add garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, thyme, and basil to taste. 

4. Once sauce is brought to a boil, turn off flame. In a 13" x 9" glass or ceramic casserole dish ladle enough sauce to cover bottom of dish. Add a layer of no boil lasagna noodles (usually 3 across depending on brand). Do not over lap noodles. Spoon cheese mixture onto noodles and spread evenly. Continue to add sauce, noodles, and cheese mixture until gone. The last layer on top should be sauce. 

5. Sprinkle remaining cup of shredded mozzarella and shredded Parmesan on top of lasagna. Tent with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 15 minutes to brown the cheese. Allow to rest on counter for 5 minutes before serving. 

The lasagna can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

(Best if served with garlic bread.)

Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

1 loaf french bread from grocery store

1 stick salted butter softened (not melted)

garlic powder and parsley to taste

grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cut french bread lengthwise.

2. Mix butter, garlic powder, and parsley. Spread half of mixture onto each half of bread with a soft spatula. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

3. Put halves of bread back together, and wrap in aluminum foil. Add to the oven last 15-20 minutes lasagna is cooking.

For maximum braces friendliness, do not eat heels of garlic bread, and cut or rip into bite sized pieces.

We hope everyone enjoys this week's recipes, and if you have a recipe you'd like to see featured on our blog, email Januari at januari@dunayortho.com .