Lasagna-Helen Rooks

I don't know how other families came up with menus for the week but, growing up we seemed to have the standards, Meatloaf, Roast, Fried Chicken, Vegetable Soup, Chicken Fried Steak, Hamburgers, Cold Cut Sandwiches, on endless rotation. Week after week it was as though variety was not our strong suit, oh of course there were your occasional Potato Soup, BLT's, Spaghetti or heaven forbid, Salmon Patty dinners (shudder) but, I don't recall that we ventured out-of-bounds too often.

My Mom was a great colletor of recipes. The recipe boxes are absolutely chocked full of recipes I never ate and I am fairly certain she never prepared. However, one recipe managed to slip through the ranks and Lasagna made an occasional appearance into the Rooks family menu rotation.

I LOVE this lasagna but, I will warn you, this isn't a traditional lasagna in the classic 'italian' sense. So, this may be more for my family to remember the traditional recipes that graced our table than, one for you to serve your Italian neighbors.  But, it is one of those dishes for me, that conjures up warm and fuzzy feelings of home.

     
8 oz package lasagna noodles
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 Tblsp shortening
1 lb ground beef
1/2 finely chopped onion
2 cups Traditional Ragu Sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups Mozzerella Cheese-Shredded

Cook noodles according to directions, drain. Mix cottage cheese and sour cream and pour over noodles, toss to coat.

Brown ground beef and onion in shortening. After browned drain and add Ragu and mix well.

In casserole dish arrange in alternate layers noodle mixture, sauce, cheese, repeat-beginning with noodles on the bottom and ending with cheese on top.

Bake 45mins at 350 degrees