Holidays, relationships, family, and traditions. When we were first married, I learned some of my wife’s family holiday traditions just as she learned some of mine. And one of her family’s biggest Christmas traditions was a huge family dinner featuring their lasagna recipe.

Though I’d had lasagna before, to me it was just another meal. But for her, it is a symbol of family and traditions. And so it became an important meal to learn how to make properly.

Many times my wife and I will work together in a tag team to make this recipe.

I will start off boiling the water, browning the beef, and seasoning the sauce. Then when it is all prepped, my wife will then start assembling the lasagna layer by layer. Together we throw it in the oven, make a few sides, and enjoy a family meal.

Simple Lasagna Recipe

Lasagna is all about the layers. Meat in a tomato sauce, noodles, and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese.

It starts with cooking the meat and doctoring up the tomato sauce. Adding in some garlic, onion, and herbs really helps up the sauce game.

Cook the noodles while the meat is browning and make sure all your mozzarella and parmesan are shredded and ready to go. Then it is a matter of layering and baking.

The number of layers you get may depend on how deep your pan is, but most 9 x 13 pans should fully fit this recipe. I recommend having a kind of assembly area set up with your pan in the center and all of the layer ingredients nearby. Then just stack up all the layers basically until your ingredients are gone.

Once you’ve layered and baked it right, you’ll have a dish oozing with cheesy flavor and packed with perfectly seasoned sauce.

Bread and Other Accompaniments

Maybe more than any other food, my wife loves bread. So I guess it just makes sense that this lasagna recipe goes perfectly with bread of all varieties. The bread is great to mop up the leftover red sauce as you eat the lasagna. Because you don’t want any of that to go to waste.

Pair this with any kind of bread – dinner rolls, garlic knots, garlic bread, cheesy bread, focaccia, ciabatta, sourdough…

But bread is not the only pairing for lasagna. For other side dishes, try any of the following:

• Roasted Asparagus
• Caesar Salad
• Garlic Butter Sauteed Green Beans
• Simple Side Salad

So bring your favorite bread and side to join in with this delicious oven dish.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out this lasagna recipe! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Rodda Family Christmas Three-Cheese Lasagna

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: DinnerDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Total time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Family favorite three-cheese lasagna recipe with a deliciously flavored meat sauce, tons of gooey cheese, and a perfectly browned top

Ingredients

• 1 package lasagna noodles (16 oz)

• 3 pounds ground beef

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 2 teaspoons dried basil

• 2 teaspoons dried thyme

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

• 4 cups prepared tomato sauce

• 3 cups cottage cheese

• 3 cups shredded mozzarella

• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan

• 9 oz fresh mozzarella

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
• Set a large pot of salted water over high heat, bring it to a boil, add in the lasagna noodles, and cook until al dente according to package directions
• While the water is heating, brown the beef in a large skillet over medium heat
• Drain the fat from the beef after it has fully browned
• Add the garlic, onion, oregano, basil, thyme, and parsley to the beef and cook for 3 to 5 minutes while stirring
• Pour the tomato sauce over the beef, stir to combine, and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Get a 9″ x 13″ baking pan and gather together the cooked noodles, beef in red sauce, and various cheeses to begin assembly
• Spread about 1/2 cup of meat and sauce into the bottom of the pan
• Place down noodles in an even layer to cover the meat sauce
• On top of the noodles, evenly spread about 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of the meat in red sauce
• On top of the meat sauce, evenly spread about 1 cup shredded mozzarella, 1 cup cottage cheese, and 1 tablespoon parmesan
• Repeat steps 8 through 10 two more times for a total of three layers of each ingredient
• Add one more layer of noodles on top of the cheese, spread the remaining meat sauce over the noodles, and then cover it with an even layer of fresh mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• Place it in the oven to bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the cheese on top is fully melted and bubble
• For slight browning on top when it has finished baking, switch your oven to broil and let the lasagna broil for about 3 minutes until the cheese on top is nicely browned – watch it carefully to avoid burning
• Let the lasagna cool for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving

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The post Rodda Family Christmas Three-Cheese Lasagna Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

This recipe comes by way of one of my mom’s college roommates. My mom was a college student with a short budget and a need for some cheap food. That roommate took charge and showed her the ropes of this simple and inexpensive meal. It stuck around long enough that I was introduced to the delicious and easy meal that is a ramen omelet while growing up.

It is some weird concoction that strangely works in a way that doesn’t seem like it should. Soft-boiled eggs are commonly served with a bowl of ramen. But I have not seen this mix of egg and ramen outside my house. Not saying nobody’s done it before, but it is not common. If you try this, you will have to let me know what you think of it.

But don’t be fooled by the name, it isn’t just a regular omelet that is filled with ramen noodles. It actually isn’t super omelet-like, now that I think about it. And it is not something that I would really think to have for breakfast. It is more of a lunch kind of meal in my head.

It is more like pan-fried egg and ramen that isn’t scrambled and is then topped with cheese and whatever other toppings you want. Like a ramen frittata or something. But I always have and always will call it a ramen omelet. And if you are looking for other inexpensive meals after giving this one a try, make sure to check out how to make the perfect baked potato for another cheap meal.

Basic Ramen Omelet Steps

Making a ramen omelet takes a few simple steps. I think one of the reasons my mom taught it to me while I was young is that it is so easy. I could make it as a child and it was a great recipe to learn from early on. It truly does bring back memories from growing up for me.

First, cook the ramen noodles until they are just tender and then drain them. I recommend putting about half of the seasoning packet into the water that you use to cook the ramen. Let the noodles rest in the strainer for a minute while you crack an egg into a bowl. Whisk the egg until smooth. Then add the drained noodles to the bowl with the egg and stir to combine. Add the rest of the flavor packet into the bowl and stir.

Heat a small skillet on medium and then melt a little butter in it. Add the egg and noodle mixture to the pan and let it start cooking. Flip it over after a few minutes so that the other side can cook. Cover the cooked top side with cheese so that it can melt while the bottom cooks.

Once it is cooked through, remove it from the pan, add any toppings that feel right, and then enjoy your meal.

Flavor Your Ramen

This is an inexpensive meal when you can get a 24 pack of ramen for less than $12, and then you have the eggs and cheese that won’t break the bank. But even though we’re going light on money, we don’t want to go light on flavor.

The most simple version of this recipe doesn’t add on a whole lot of complex flavors. Ramen, egg, and cheese. The flavor packet of your selected ramen lends a bit of nuance. And it is a great dish served in its simplicity. But it can also be a whole lot more if you have some imagination in the kitchen.

Throw some aromatics into the butter and sauté them before adding in the noodle and egg mixture. The best ones would likely be garlic and onion. Just mince them up, toss them in for a quick pan fry, and then continue cooking everything else as normal. If you are feeling like adding a bit more flavor and zing, try grating in some fresh ginger.

You can also try adding some other sauces to the mix – soy sauce, sriracha, chili garlic sauce, gochujang, or save some of the flavor packet to sprinkle on top. When stirring together the egg and noodle, try throwing some spinach or crumbled bacon into the mix. Try topping it with green onion or sliced avocado.

However you flavor it, just know that it comes from a fond place of childhood memories.

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Easy Instant Ramen Omelet

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: LunchDifficulty: Easy

Servings

1

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

Ramen noodles and egg combine to make a unique, springy ramen omelet that can be topped with cheese, green onions, chili sauce and more

Ingredients

• 1 packet instant ramen noodles

• 1 green onion

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 tablespoon butter

• 1/4 cup shredded cheese

• 2 tablespoons hot sauce or garlic chili sauce

Directions

• Cook the ramen noodles in boiling water with half of the seasoning packet for 2 to 5 minutes until tender
• While the noodles are cooking, slice the green onions
• Drain the noodles with a colander
• Put the cooked noodles in a mixing bowl, crack the egg and add it to the bowl, and add the remainder of the ramen seasoning packet
• Whisk together the noodles, egg and seasoning in the bowl until thoroughly mixed
• Melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat
• Pour everything from the bowl into the pan to start cooking
• Let it cook about 5 minutes until the egg on the bottom is cooked and flip to cook the other side
• After flipping, top the omelet with the cheese so that it can melt
• When the other half has fully cooked, and the cheese is fully melted, about 5 minutes, remove the ramen omelet from the heat
• Top the ramen omelet with sliced green onions, chili sauce, and any other toppings

The post Easy Instant Ramen Omelet Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.