the lasagna that stands up

last week, my mom came to town to help us transition into this new life. it was so helpful. by the end of the week, i thought nik was going to invite her to live with us permanently. 

while she was here, oliver and i got to practice leaving the apartment, nursing in public. hitting all the major milestones.

but another thing she did was to cook some meals for us to eat after she had left. well, one main meal really - her lasagna. 

this lasagna wins my dad over every time he eats it. as he repeats every time she makes this, the lasagna "stands up." most other lasagnas are served up like a pasta; the sauce and noodles slide against each other to separate the dish. but mom's lasagna doesn't do this. the traditional, saucy lasagnas have their place. and so does mom's.

in all these years, i never asked her for the recipe. but now that i have a family, i should know my own family's main dishes. 

admittedly, i had trepidation about this lasagna. the night after my mom made the dish, i had a dream that i was warming it up and somehow i completely demolished what makes it "stand." ridiculous, i know, but there it is.

well, here it is. mom's famous lasagna. 

adapted from the better homes and gardens cookbook

1 lb italian sausage

4 cloves of minced garlic

1 small bunch of basil

1.5 teaspoons of salt

1 lb can of diced tomatoes

12 ounces of canned tomato paste

10 ounces lasagna noodles

2 eggs, room temperature

3 cups cottage cheese, room temperature

.5 cup grated parmesan cheese, room temperature

1 bunch of parsley 

1 teaspoon salt

.5 teaspoon pepper

1 pound mozzarella cheese sliced thinly

1. brown the meat slowly, and spoon off the excess fat

2. add the next 5 ingredients

3. simmer uncovered for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring occasionally

4. cook the noodles

5. beat the eggs and add all remaining ingredients except for the mozzarella

6. layer the bottom of a 13x9x2 baking dish with 2 layers of lasagna. according to mom, "this is the foundation." spread with half the cottage cheese filling, add half the mozzarella cheese and half the meat sauce. add another single layer of noodles, and repeat with the remaining filling, cheese and meat sauce.

7. bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

oh, and mom wanted me to tell you that it's best the next day after all the flavors come together.

i had to include this. mom and i pulled up the recipe online to make sure that we had the proportions just right and found this woman's request for the same recipe. fantastic! i love the quotations around lasagna. we had a pretty good crack up about it.