Big Batch Lasagna

In preparing for my tonsil surgery (which went great and my recovery is going better than expected), I spent a good portion of this past week filling our deep freezer with meals. In addition to making a bunch of freezer-to-crockpot meals I made 4 lasagnas. Lasagnas are kind of a mess to make so I like to make a lot all at one time so that I only have to deal with the mess once. This lasagna recipe is great for when you have a family over for dinner, or need to bring a baby meal, or just would like to fill your freezer with lasagna!

Large Batch Lasagna
Makes 4 lasagnas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 package hot breakfast sausage
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
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• 8 (14.5oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 4 cans tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
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• 8 eggs, beaten
• 2 - 3lb containers cottage cheese 
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 container parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
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• 2.5 boxes lasagna noodles (uncooked)
• 3 lbs mozzarella cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Brown beef, sausage, and garlic together over medium heat in a very large pot. 
2. Once browned add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and parsley. 
3. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and allow to cook for 45 minutes. (I like to put the pot lid on the pot propped up with a wooden spoon to let some steam out while keeping the sauce from splattering everywhere.) 
4. While tomato sauce is cooking, In a large bowl combine eggs, cottage cheese, parsley, parmesan, and salt and pepper. 
5. Once sauce has finished cooking you can begin to assemble your lasagna.
6. This is the way that I layer my lasagnas: A little bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan then a layer of noodles, a layer of cheese mixture, a layer of sauce, a layer of noodles, a layer of cheese mixture, a layer of sauce, a layer of noodles, a layer of sauce, and then top with the mozzarella. I like to have all of my pans laid out so I can do each layer at the same time helping me keep the layers more even. 

• You can now bake your lasagna at 350 for 40 minutes and serve right away or you can immediately freeze your lasagnas. Once frozen the lasagnas will need to be thawed before cooking and again can be cooked at 350 for about 40 minutes.