FOODIE FRIDAY....OUR FAVORITE LASAGNA

My daughter and I LOVE lasagna (my son not so much....so I know he'll be happy with just noodles and light sauce...SO I know I can load the yummy cheeses on). I gathered all my supplies (makes it easier to have everything handy and in one place so I can just grab and keep going). 

Ingredients :
*Sauce of your choice (mine was my ma's homemade sauce)
*Lasagna Noodles (this was my first time using Columbia brand which are NO pre-cook {which I also have never done and was a bit apprehensive} BUT when using a frozen sauce your lasagna can tend to be watery SO I figured the uncooked noodles would absorb the extra liquid)
*Cheese of your choice (there are MANY varieties out there...I went with mozzarella {in the block that I sliced myself - saved me a lil money that way vs buying the shredded} Provolone (thin sliced - made for nice layering) and an italian cheese blend (shredded BECAUSE I was using this in 2 recipes - one that called for the shredded variety and I like the fine shredd for the other recipe) and ricotta (I DEF could have used a bigger size container to get a thicker layer of the ricotta....this is new to me as my mom NEVER put it in our lasagna....I just started adding the ricotta about 5 years ago).

 Grab a 9 x 13 baking dish (for a larger crowd OR to freeze half for later....OR you can use a smaller dish of you just want a few slices). I put a light layer of sauce in the bottom of the dish (so it wouldn't stick) and began layering the UNCOOKED noodles....

I layered my ricotta first (using a spatula to spread it)

Added a thin layer of the shredded cheese and provolone

Another layer of sauce

Noodles, ricotta and the mozza slices

Keep layering until your pan is full, bake on 350 for approx an hour or until the top layer is golden brown (my daughter like the top layer crispy SO I broil for a few minutes AFTER it's baked to get that gorgeous golden brown crust). IF you're using the uncooked noodles pay attention to the directions (it will tell you how much water to add....DON'T PANIC if it looks like your noodles are still hard and there's lotsa water in the bottom of the pan IT DOES EVENTUALLY absorb into the noodles). My experience with using uncooked noodles was PRETTY AWESOME!! It saved em one step in the cooking process (which is important these days as a busy mom STILL trying to serve up a nice homemade meal).