Lasagna Gluten Free or Not

1 pkg gluten-free lasagna noodles OR regular lasagna noodles (8 ounces)

(The rest of the recipe is gluten free.)

1 1/2 lb. ground meat 

(ground beef or a combination of mild pork sausage/ground beef/ground veal)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 can diced tomatoes (28 ounce)

1 can tomato paste (6 ounce)

2 teaspoons dried parsley (or fresh)

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 pinch white sugar

8 ounces sour cream

8 ounces of ricotta cheese

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 pounds shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Makes one  9x13 inch pan.

Heat a large skillet and sauté the onions until clear.  Add meat and garlic and cook until the meat is evenly browned.  Drain off excess grease.

Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, oregano and sugar.

Increase heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sour cream, ricotta, Romano cheese, salt, black pepper and half of the mozzarella cheese.

To assemble the lasagna, spread a thick layer of the cooked sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.  Cover with 1/3 of the lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the remaining cooked sauce, 1/3 of the sour cream mixture.  Repeat this layering 2 more times.

The above recipe is very similar to Grandmaman's lasagna recipe which is basically made up of four parts, with the layers starting with the meat sauce layer and ending with a "very generous portion of grated mozzarella cheese".

To make Grandmaman's recipe gluten free, noodles need to be gluten free and attention needs to be paid to the tomato sauce.  It's best to make your own tomato sauce,  instead of premade pasta sauce.  

Part One-Precooked lasagna noodles (regular, whole wheat or gluten free)

Part Two-Meat Sauce (made of sautéed ground beef, prepared pasta sauce or your own sauce made from your choice of tomatoes (canned, sundried, fresh), tomato paste or tomato sauce, spices, onions, garlic cloves)

Part Three-eggs, cottage cheese, spinach, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper grated mozzarella (sometimes I leave this part out or only include some of it)

Part Four-THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF GRANDMAMAN'S LASAGNA-A very generous amount of grated mozzarella cheese on the top, (sprinkled with parmesan cheese if available)