Lasagna - Better than it sounds!

Sometimes its better not to know the origins or a recipe of a name. When I checked food trivia for Lasagna, I found that the word lasagna started with the Greek lasanon which means 'chamber pot'! Later the Romans used the word to humorously refer to a 'cooking pot'. Only later did the Italians use the word lasagne (plural of lasagna) to mean a dish cooked in such a pot. The dish cooked in that pot was flat sheets of pasta layered with minced meat and tomatoes topped with grated cheese. Soon, the word lasagna was applied to the pasta itself.
I'm not sure I'll be able to think of lasagna as quite so appetizing again! But I have a recipe that can help dissolve those unappealing origins of the lasanon pot. This recipe uses the no-cook lasagna noodles, so its a quick and easy prep. It also includes spinach, a good way to get that nutritious veggie on the table. I doubled the ground beef and reduced the onion in this version which was originally from Taste of Home. You can make your own spaghetti sauce, or use a combination of jarred sauce and water/tomato sauce/spaghetti seasoning. Just make sure you have equal the amount of liquid (about 6 1/2 cups).

Beef and Spinach Lasagna

2 pounds ground beef

½ medium onion, chopped

2 jars (26 ounces each) meatless spaghetti sauce

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

9 no-cook lasagna noodles

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, garlic, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. In a bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta and 1 cup mozzarella until combined.

Spread 1 ½ cups meat sauce into a greased 13-in.x9-in.x2in. baking dish. Top with three noodles.  Spread 1 ½ cups sauce to edges of noodles. Top with half of the spinach/cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles, sauce and mozzarella.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 – 15 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.