Goat Cheese Lasagna

So this may sound super fancy and super expensive but it really isn't. Yes, goat cheese is a bit more expensive than just plain mozzarella but considering when I make normal lasagna I use ricotta cheese and mozzarella the cost balances out. I buy my goat cheese at Costco because they come in the biggest blocks for the cheapest price around my area. I bought goat cheese one time at our local supermarket and paid the same price for 5 ounces as I did for an 11 ounce log of goat cheese at Costco.

If you've never tasted goat cheese I must warn you it's definitely different. It's one of those cheeses that is an acquired taste if it's eaten by itself. The reason I love this recipe is the way the sauce balances out the cheese. They are both extremely rich and heavy so one square of lasagna goes a long way. This version of the sauce is quite spicy when you use Hot Italian Sausage. If you want a milder version go for plain old Mild Italian Sausage or if the word Mild throws you off go for whatever kind of sausage is your favorite. My mom has been making this sauce all of my life and I have never found a better tasting spaghetti sauce. I know many people who claimed they didn't like spaghetti until they had my mom's spaghetti. It's definitely a winner.

This spaghetti sauce recipe makes way more sauce than you will need for the lasagna. Often times I'll freeze it for a quick dinner later or keep it to use with ravioli or stuffed pasta shells later in the week. If you're not into using the crock pot you can make this sauce on the stove cooking on the lowest heat possible for 3 hours stirring frequently. Warning: It will splatter and make a mess so be careful!

Goat Cheese Lasagna

Momma Artis’ Spaghetti Sauce
One box lasagna noodles
¼ cup packed fresh herbs such as basil or parsley or 1 Tbsp mixed, dried oregano and parsley
1 cup fresh spinach, finely sliced
2 10-11 oz logs of fresh, mild, goat cheese
Up to ¼ cup heavy cream or milk
Grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°. Grease a 13x3x3 inch baking or lasagna pan. Process goat cheese, herbs, and spinach in a food processor, adding cream or milk as needed to make mixture spreadable. Assemble lasagna by layering ingredients in following order:

1. Spaghetti sauce
2. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese
3. Noodles, overlap noodles by ½ inch
4. Herb goat cheese mixture

Start again with first layer.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake until bubbly on top (20-30 minutes for cooked pasta, 45-50 minutes for dry pasta). Remove foil for the last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Momma Artis’ Spaghetti Sauce with a twist

1 lb ground turkey or beef
1 lb Hot Italian Sausage
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ lb mushrooms, sliced
3-4 28 oz cans tomato sauce
2 12 oz cans tomato paste
1 ½ Tbsp basil
1 ½ Tbsp oregano
3 bay leaves

Brown beef and sausage, drain grease, and then process in a food processor. Sauté garlic, onion, and mushrooms in a drizzle of olive oil. Add meat mixture to the mushroom and onion mixture. Then mix in tomato paste to mixture. Add tomato sauce and mix thoroughly. Place sauce in a large crock pot and cook on low for at least 3 hours.

Before serving pull out bay leaves they have an extremely strong flavor and biting into one is a super nasty surprise.