my meatball lasagna

Ingredients

• Servings: 1
• meatballs:
• 4 slices day-old bread
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon italian seasoning
• 2 pounds ground beef
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 (12 ounce) package lasagna noodles
• sauce:
• 1 (24 ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (such as prego®)
• 1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
• cheese mixture:
• 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1 (12 ounce) container cottage cheese
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or as needed

Recipe

Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ready Time: 1 hr 55 mins


• soak bread slices in warm water in a bowl for 5 minutes; squeeze bread dry and transfer to a large bowl.
• melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir onion and garlic in hot butter until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. add onion and garlic to bread. stir 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, eggs, parmesan cheese, and italian seasoning into bread and onions until thoroughly combined. crumble ground beef into mixture; mix until thoroughly combined. season with salt and black pepper.
• form ground beef mixture into 1-inch meatballs. heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. pan-fry meatballs until browned, working in batches if necessary, about 10 minutes, turning often. set meatballs aside.
• bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. cook lasagna in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. drain.
• preheat oven to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c).
• combine prepared spaghetti sauce, tomato paste, and cheddar cheese soup in a bowl. combine ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, and parsley in a separate bowl.
• spread 1 cup of sauce mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. layer 1/3 the lasagna noodles over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. arrange meat balls over noodles. place 1/3 the lasagna noodles over meat balls, and spread with cheese mixture in an even layer. top cheese layer with remaining 1/3 the lasagna noodles and spread remaining sauce over top layer of noodles. sprinkle top with 1 cup mozzarella cheese.
• bake lasagna in the preheated oven until casserole is bubbling and the topping is melted, about 1 hour.