Not My Mother's Lasagna

According to everyone who knew her, my mother was a very good cook.  There weren't very many things she made that weren't successful, and she had quite a few dishes that became favorites among family and friends.  One of these was "Mary Ann's Lasagna".  I have many fond memories of this dish.  She most often made it around the holidays.  For many years, we drove to my maternal grandparent's house the day before Christmas, and Mom would pack her lasagna to have for Christmas Eve Dinner (until the last few years of her life, Grandma would be responsible for Christmas Dinner).  Mom also often made it for New Year's Eve.  I think she considered it a cold weather dish because I don't remember ever having it in the summer.

The big irony of Mom's Lasagna is that by most people's definition it's not really lasagna.  Although it has noodles,  it doesn't have lasagna noodles in it.  I really don't know why she called it lasagna.  I think that perhaps at some point she did use lasagna noodles, but I'm not sure when or why that changed.  I also don't know if she got this recipe somewhere, or if she modified a recipe or just made it up.  All I know is that she made it as long as I can remember, and I always enjoyed it and looked forward to it.

This past year, at the holidays, I got hungry for Mom's lasagna, so I made it myself.  Hubs liked it, and so it is now in our regular line-up of options.   I have put a couple little twists on it, so I am going to rename my version Amy's Lasagna Casserole (because mine doesn't have lasagna noodles in it either!).

One of the nice things about this dish is that the heavy lifting can be done in advance - the casserole can be assembled so that it just has to be heated through when it's time for dinner.  I am taking advantage of this convenience now.  I assembled all the parts yesterday, and we feasted today.  Likewise, Mom would assemble the casserole the day before our trip, and then it just had to be heated in Grandma's oven for 30-45 min on Christmas Eve.  Sometimes she even made smaller containers of it and froze them.

Here is a list of ingredients I used this time:

1/2 - 12 oz bag of Light'n Fluffy Egg Noodles, extra wide
1 - 1.37 oz packet of McCormick's Thick & Zesty Spaghetti Sauce Mix
~ 3 cups of Tomato Juice
1 - 4 oz can of mushrooms, stems and pieces (optional - my addition)
~ 1 doz fresh Kalamata olives  (optional - my addition)
1 - 20oz package of ground turkey (I use Jennie-O)
1 - package of shredded Mozzarella cheese (amount to taste)
1 - Handifoil EcoFoil pan - 11 3/4" x 9 3/8" x 1 1/2"

A few notes on ingredients and portion sizes:  The amounts listed above fit nicely in this size pan.  This is plenty for Hubs and me for at least 2 main meals and maybe even some for me to take for lunch also.  If Mom was making this for the family, she would make a larger pan or 2 pans of it, so the amounts have to be considered.  I think this size would probably be enough for 4-6 people for 1 meal.

If I have fresh mushrooms I use them instead of canned.  If I don't have fresh olives, I used canned.  These two items are my own addition - I don't remember Mom using them.  Her key was the McCormick spaghetti sauce mix - that's what gives it the flavor we've come to love. I think she also used Lowry's if she couldn't find McCormick's.   She would buy the packets by the box so she's always have it when she wanted it.  I'm sure you could use a prepared spaghetti sauce if you have one you prefer.  Also, Mom always used hamburger, but we always substitute ground turkey because Hubs doesn't eat beef - so that's an option as well.  As far as the cheese goes, before I put the pan in the oven I cover the top with a thick layer of mozzarella, so use your own judgement about the amount.  Sometimes Mom would buy a ball of Mozzarella, slice it and then lay the slices on the top from edge to edge.

Cooking Directions:
Prepare the egg noodles according to the package directions.  Since you will be baking the whole thing later, you only need to cook the noodles for about 5 minutes at this first phase.  Once they are done, I let them drain in a colander in the sink while I finish the meat.  You want to get all the water out, otherwise the final result will be too runny.    When they are dry, I spread them out in the pan to wait for the tomatoey goodness.

Once I get the noodle water going, I start to brown the meat.  I chop it up as small as I can with my wooden  spatula  and brown it in a large skillet, then I add the packet of spaghetti seasoning, and stir that all in.  Next comes the tomato juice.  You sort of have to use your own judgement about how much to put in.  I used about 1/2 of a 42 oz bottle this time, adding it in stages as it cooked down.  When it was fairly far along, I added the mushrooms and olives because I didn't want them to get over-cooked.  They will cook more in the oven.

Once I'm satisfied with the consistency, I ladle the meat sauce evenly over the noodles.  I put a layer of foil on top and put it in the frig to wait.  Now the house smells yummy the rest of the day!!!

When it's time to get ready for dinner, I remove the foil, layer on the cheese, and put the tray in the oven  at 350 for about 30-45 min.  

Check on it periodically, and when the cheese is golden brown, it's READY!!  Let it rest for a few minutes before you cut into it - it will be VERY hot.  

I hope you are all ready to enjoy Mary Ann's Lasagna, Amy Style!