‘Tis the season — for cosy sweaters, lighting candles, wearing slippers, and inviting friends over. Long, dark evenings aren’t nearly as depressing when surrounded by family and friends. Pull out a puzzle or board game, pour something tasty to drink, and share a delicious meal that was made in advance so you don’t miss a minute of the fun.
As newlyweds, we made the commitment to practice hospitality. What we didn’t realize at the time was how many times we would be overwhelmed by the privilege and blessing of inviting people into our home. Whether it was young adults who needed a home-away-from home, additional “strays” joining us for family holidays, or even people we just met at church who didn’t have plans, our dinner table was a place to gather.
A friend recently asked why I enjoy cooking so much. As I thought about my response, I realized there are lots of reasons:
- I enjoy the creative process. At least twice a month I challenge myself to create a new recipe. Not one to get stuck in a rut, it’s always an adventure trying something new.
- My goal is to make something that causes me to stand back and say, “Woah! That was good!”
- Cooking satisfies a nurturing need. I jokingly say that I feed “anyone brave enough to step through our front door”. Sharing meals around the table with others is a wonderful opportunity for ministry and encouragement.
- When we have company, I am not a purist or a snob – there’s nothing wrong with take-out! But when I have the time to prepare something homemade, it gives me joy and extends the connection to our guests beyond the couple hours we are actually together.
- It is great fun having a bunch of cooks in my kitchen! Much of our socializing is done in the kitchen, so why not put everyone to work and create something together? Our kitchen isn’t large, but it’s designed so several can work simultaneously. If we crash into each other, laughter inevitably ensues.
Regardless of how much I like to cook, I don’t want to miss all the fun with company. Enter —- LASAGNA. Easily made in advance, and baking can be done while showering and getting ready. 🙂
It’s super-simple to make this gluten free – just switch out regular lasagna noodles for pasta made with rice. DeBoles has a wonderful no-boil rice lasagna. No one will know it’s gluten free!
Using homemade pasta sauce adds tons of nutrition and flavour, without loading up on sodium and sugar. For two large pans of lasagna, you’ll need 12-14 cups of sauce.
Company-Sized Lasagna
Ingredients
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup flax and/or chia seed meal (ground in a spice or coffe mill)
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups shredded carrots and/or finely cut spinach
- 2 boxes lasagna noodles (use DeBoles rice lasagna for gluten free)
- Pasta sauce (12-14 cups homemade, or 3 jars store-bought)
- 2 pounds lean, grass fed beef hamburger
- 2 pounds mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1/3 pound pepperoni slices
Instructions
- Season and brown hamburger until it is no longer pink, and add to pasta sauce
- Grind flax and/or chia seeds in a spice mill or coffee mill to make “meal”
- Blend (or process) cottage cheese and ricotta cheese until smooth, then whir in eggs, flax meal, and parmesan cheese
- Stir into this mixture the shredded carrots and chopped spinach
- Grease two lasagna pans, and spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of each pans
- Spread cheese mixture on dry lasagna noodles – like buttering bread – and place on the sauce
- Layer with meat sauce, pepperoni, and mozzarella cheese
- Repeat the layering, finishing with sauce and topped with mozzarella
- Cover pans with greased foil and refrigerate several hours, or overnight
- Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes
- Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and lightly browned
- Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving
- Bake frozen lasagna 1 hour before removing foil for the final 10 minutes.
