I grew up in an Italian neighborhood — so my formative tastebud years were filled with red sauce and almond cookies. To this day when I go to bakeries around DC I am befuddled by what is and isn’t there. It isn’t until I get to Philly that I start getting back to the old familiar, and things start to taste right.
So, you’d think that my mom would have some killer Italian recipes — and some of them were! Her Spaghetti Sauce was amazing (still haven’t found it, sorry y’all), and pizza day was the one I looked forward to all year (yes, even the one with shrimp on it — an acquired taste, I know).
BUT it is her lasagna that I remember the most for being both bad and good. It wasn’t made with ricotta, but rather cream cheese. It had this tart thick flavor to it that makes my mouth pucker just thinking about it. And guess what…I found it. I have made some small changes to it, because I know that later in life she didn’t follow this exactly anymore — I’m sure she would be upset with me if I didn’t reflect her growth as a cook. So here it is in all its faux Italian glory (with edits).
Midwest Lasagna
1 lb Ground Turkey
1 lb Italian Sausage (mild or spicy)
1 large Red Onion
1 can Crushed Tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 envelopes Lawrys Spaghetti Sauce
3 cloves Garlic
1 8 oz box of Lasagna Noodles
1 8 oz box of cream cheese
8 oz Mozzarella
1 cup parmesan cheese
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Boil noodles until al dente (8 minutes) — drain and rinse with cold water. Set to one side.
While noodles boil: Dice onion. Add meat and onions to a large frying pan, and cook until browned. Do not drain. Add garlic, cook until softened.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, 2 envelopes spaghetti sauce, cook until bubbly and well combined. Add cream cheese, stir constantly until cream cheese is melted and ingredients are well combined.
Shred the mozzarella, and parmesan (if not already).
In a 9×13 pan, start with a super thin layer of sauce (without meat if you can swing it). Layer noodles, meat mixture, cheese — alternating until you run out of ingredients. Top with cheese. Bake 30-40 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.
Tips:
If you decide to skip the pre-made spaghetti envelopes, make sure to put in Italian Seasoning so you don’t have a “one note” pasta sauce that tastes like tomato soup.
