Lighthouse Lasagna

This delicious dinner started making its way around an online mom's group I frequent, and I added it to my menu as soon as I saw it. This faux lasagna might not be the best weekday meal due to the simmering and baking time, but it's perfect if you can prep it ahead of time or wait until the weekend. It's easy and delicious, and it feeds an army - it fed my family of four plus gave me lunch for a couple of days.

Lighthouse Lasagna

adapted from Potluck at Midnight Farm

• 1 pound ground meat
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Coarse salt
• 12 ounces egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cup sour cream
• 5 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sauté the meat until lightly browned in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, and sugar. (Next time I will add salt too) Fill the tomato paste can with water and stir it in. Simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.

Fill a large pot with water, salt it, and bring it to a boil. Add the egg
noodles and cook them until tender. Drain the noodles, then return them to the pot. Stir in the butter.

Mix the sour cream, cream cheese, and scallions in a small ­bowl. Make two layers of the ingredients in a large casserole dish, as follows: Spread a little sauce over the bottom of the dish, top with a layer of noodles, then spread half of the sour cream mixture and half of the meat sauce. Repeat these steps. Top the lasagna with the sliced cheddar.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes (I only baked it for 30 mins), until the lasagna mixture is bubbly and the cheese is lightly browned.