1 pkg Barilla No-Boil Lasagna

1 pkg Cream Cheese (softened)

1 container Ricotta Cheese

1 container cottage cheese

1 large bag of shredded mozzarella

1 pound ground round (seasoned to your liking)

onion

1 jar spaghetti sauce

Brown your ground meat, seasonings and onions.  Add the spaghetti sauce.  In a deep pan (I use a 9×13), put your first layer of lasagna noodles down. Spread cream cheese on the noodles. I have to actually pick them up and spread it on there. Laddle on some spaghetti sauce and then top with mozzarella. Next layer of noodles spread with ricotta cheese and then cottage cheese. Laddle sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella.  Next layer, spread with cream cheese, cottage cheese, sauce and then more mozzarella.  This is where my pan usually ends. If your’s is deeper, just keep going.

Bake in 375 degree (F) oven til the top is bubbly.

This is a very rich lasagna but oh so good:) Back in the 80′s when I was working at Jack’s Grill in Baton Rouge, one of the guy servers was telling everyone about his lasagna and it included cream cheese. I tried it and yeah, it’s good stuff:) Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

• 1 (24- to 26-ounce) jar pasta sauce
• 2 (16- to 18-ounce) bags frozen large cheese ravioli
• 1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess water
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

* Heat oven to 350 degrees.

* Spoon third of pasta sauce into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Place half of ravioli over sauce in single layer. Top with another third of pasta sauce. Sprinkle with spinach and half the mozzarella.

* Add remaining ravioli in single layer (you may not need all of them). Top with remaining sauce and cheeses. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbling, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

SOURCE: “Real Simple: Meals Made Easy” (Real Simple Books, 2006)

**You also could use ravioli with flavored pasta, such as green spinach ravioli or red tomato.

One caution: Be certain to squeeze the excess water from the spinach. Frozen spinach retains a tremendous amount of water which will drown your lasagna if not removed.

The easiest way to drain thawed spinach is to place it in the center of a kitchen towel, wrap it tightly, then twist and squeeze for several seconds over a sink. This should remove nearly all the water.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 cup vodka
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
• Coarse salt and pepper
• 16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Directions

Serve with:

* Crusty bread, for passing

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic and shallots. Gently sauté shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan (3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup). Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.

Recipe by Rachael Ray as seen on Oprah:)

Ingredients

• 8 oz Pkg dry medium-width noodles
• 1/4 c Butter (4 Tbsp)
• 1/4 c Flour
• 2 c Milk
• 2 Pk (3-oz ea) cream cheese
• 7 oz Can of tuna in oil (save oil
• 1 Cn Peas, drained (optional)
• 1 Cn Mushroom pieces, drained (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Plain dry bread crumbs

Directions

Cook noodles in salted water; drain. Melt butter in
saucepan and blend in flour. Add milk slowly, cooking
and stirring constantly. When sauce is thick and smooth,
blend in cream cheese and oil from the tuna. Then add
cooked noodles, and lastly and tuna (and peas and
mushrooms). Season to taste; top with dried bread
crumbs. Bake at 375°F for 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 16 oz pkg ziti pasta
• 2 (26.5 oz) cans/jars spaghetti sauce
• 6 oz provolone cheese, sliced
• 6 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
• 1-1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to pkg directions. Drain.

Brown onion and ground beef. Add spaghetti sauce, simmer 15 minutes. Layer in buttered baking dish: 1/2 of ziti, provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 spaghetti sauce, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce.

Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350° F. for 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted.

Makes 8 servings