Method: Assembly, Baking, Cook
Ingredients
For the Beef Sauce
- Ground beef (85/15) fresh or frozen. (no more than 15% fat)-9 pounds
- Italian seasoning-½ cup
- Garlic powder-1 tablespoon
- Onion powder-1 tablespoon
- Red pepper flakes, crushed-2 teaspoons
- Fennel seeds-2 teaspoons
- Salt-2 teaspoons
- Marinara or spaghetti sauce, no salt added-8 pounds
- Tomatoes, diced, canned, low sodium-6 pounds
For the Lasagna Layers
- Ricotta cheese, part skim-4 pounds
- Eggs, whole-8 each
- Spinach, chopped, frozen thawed-2 pounds
- Noodles, lasagna, oven ready-4 pounds
- Mozzarella cheese, shredded-4 pounds
Instructions
Beef Sauce
- Combine beef, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds and salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
- In a large pan or tilt skillet over high heat, brown beef quickly, breaking into ½” chunks and stirring until internal temperature reaches 155 ℉.
- Add marinara sauce and tomatoes. Simmer 20 minutes.
Assembly
- Squeeze thawed spinach to remove most of liquid. Combine with ricotta and eggs in a large bowl, mixing to break up eggs and spinach until evenly distributed.
- Using non-stick cooking spray, grease two (4-inch tall) steam table pans.
- Spread 4 cups of beef/tomato mixture in each pan. Cover with 8 oz. of lasagna noodles in a single layer, or overlapping slightly, in each pan. Top the noodles with 6 cups of tomato/meat mixture in each pan. Then layer ½ of the ricotta mixture dividing between the two pans. Sprinkle 4 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over the ricotta dividing between the two pans. Repeat with noodles, meat, ricotta and mozzarella. Cover with the remaining noodles and all the remaining beef/tomato mixture. Reserve the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Cover each pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 ℉ for 60 minutes, until noodles are tender and interior of lasagna has reached 165 ℉.
- Remove the foil. Top each lasagna with the remaining mozzarella. Bake 10 more minutes until cheese is melted and begins to brown. Remove from oven and hold 15 minutes.
- Cut each pan into pieces 5 x 5. Serve 1 piece
Recipe Notes
Crediting: 4 ounces M/MA, 1 ounce grain, 1/2 cup red/orange vegetable
A serving of this recipe provides an excellent source of protein, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, selenium and phosphorus as well as a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin B6 and choline.
Substitute:
- Use 1 pounds 13 ounces of pre-cooked ground beef (85/15) (no more than 15% fat) instead of fresh ground beef.
- Skip Step 2. In Step 3 combine pre-cooked beef with marinara sauce and tomatoes.
- Simmer 20 minutes and ensure that mixture reaches an internal temperature of 165˚. Proceed as directed.
Yield: 2 steam table pans.