I remember one of my first desires after I began converting my kitchen to organic, was a longing for ready-made meals. 7 years ago when I began this journey, I started by walking the grocery store and left feeling SO frustrated.
I was used to buying quick, easy meals, off the shelf. But now, now I walked through the isles, and picked things up, and looked at the ingredient list.... and put it back on the shelf.
I missed all the ready-made meals and foods I used to eat! Lasagna, Chicken Pot Pie, Frozen Pizza, who doesn't love a "throw it in the oven on a weeknight" frozen pizza, am I right? But now I was questioning EVERYTHING. I was looking at everything with a whole new set of eyes. I looked to see whats in it? Are there chemicals? Are there preservatives? Are there GMO's? Are there things I can't pronounce?
My rule of thumb became "If I cant pronounce it, chances are my body can't break it down". And then I got mad. Mad that there weren't clean options, mad because my days of convenience seemed to be gone, and mad because I honestly wasn't ready to just eat salads from here on out.
Don't get me wrong, I love a salad, but everyday? Because that's all I can eat without worrying about what I'm putting in my body or feeding my family.... no.
And then I decided, "Well, if there's aren't any organic, frozen, ready-made lasagnas or chicken pot pies, or pizzas etc... then I'll just make them myself. hmmmph" (cross arms and scowl).
And that is where it started. I began looking for all the organic ingredients needed for organic lasagna- on a budget- because this girl is NOT paying $7.99 for Organic Ricotta! Highway robbery. And it took some work, and initially a couple trips here and there to various stores, since I didn't know where to find things yet, but I found them, and I found it all for around $20. WHAT?!?!?! That's how much 1 piece would be at a restaurant!!
Completely organic lasagna that produces AT LEAST 9 servings, maybe 12 depending on the portions. That's $1.66 a piece! FOR ORGANIC!
Here's where I get supplies, approximately how much they cost, and how you make it,
Ingredients:
1 Box Organic Lasagna Noodles (Whole Foods, Sprouts, Target, $2.99)
2 Jars of Organic Marinara (Whole Foods, Kroger, Harris Teeter $2.99/ea)
1 Container of Organic Ricotta (Whole Foods, Kroger, Harris Teeter $3.99)
1 lb Organic Ground Beef (Aldi $5.89) or Sausage from Whole Foods ($6.99 or less on sale)
2 6-8 oz Packages of Organic Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (Kroger, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, $2.99-3.99)
2 Organic Eggs $.66 (Kroger, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, Walmart $3.99 Doz)
1 TSP Organic Oregano
1 TSP Organic Basil
1 TSP Organic Garlic Powder
1 TSP Salt
1/2 TSP Black Pepper
Step 1 - Par Boil your noodles for 5 minutes unless you use the No Boil option which Target Simply Balanced has ( Just MAKE SURE to use 2 full jars of marinara and you may want to add a little water to make sure you have enough liquid absorb nicely into those noodles)
They only need 5 minutes to make them soft but not to where they will end up completely mushy once combined and cooked in the dish.
Step 2 - Brown your meat of choice, if using meat. Set Aside. I have used Beef, Sausage, Ground Turkey, this is up to your preference.
Step 3- Pour about 1/4 cup of sauce into the bottom of your 13x9 inch pan and add 3 of our lasagna noodles down on top of the marinara side by side.
Step 4 - Lasagna Hack!!!! In a LARGE bowl, combine your container of ricotta, 2 eggs, seasonings, 1 1/2 jars of your marinara, 1 1/2 packages of shredded cheese, and your meat. Mix it all up. Then ladle out some of the mixture onto your first layer of noodles and repeat until your 13x9 inch pan is full to the top.
Cover with Aluminum foil and Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes- an hour. Make sure to put a cookie sheet under the pan when you place it in the oven to catch anything that drips down during cooking.
During the last 10 minutes or so, uncover the aluminum foil and sprinkle with remaining 2 to 4 oz of cheese and let it brown on top a little.
Serve and enjoy!
This will absolutely yield 9-12 servings, you'll have leftovers, and you can freeze some of the portions for later if your cooking for 1-2 or want future lunch on the way to the office. This is great for dinner on a night you don't feel like cooking as well.
But it didn't' just stop at Lasagna.....
Make sure your following my IG page @organicmadegreat or on Youtube for full video tutorials of this and other great recipes!
#comfortfood #organicmeals #dinner #lasagna #italiandishes #cookingitalian #cookingorganic #classicdishes #familyfavorite #organicmadeeasy #organicmadegreat #clteats #cleaneating #healthy #hearty
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