Ground Beef Lasagna

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray baking dishes with cooking spray.

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a rapid boil over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. (Tip: use a colander to drain ground beef over a dish. Allow grease to get firm and wipe out of dish with a paper towel. Never put grease down the sink or garbage disposal.)

Return ground beef to skillet and add pasta sauce. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Once water is boiling, add lasagna noodles to water. Stir gently and return to rapid boil. Cook noodles uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water (so the noodles are cool enough to be handled).

In a large bowl, stir together cottage cheese, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese and egg (if desired). The egg will help the cheese mixture stick the lasagna together while baking, but isn't necessary.

Spread about ½ cup of meat sauce on bottom of each pan.

Cut noodles to fit pans. Layer 2 noodles in bottom of each pan.

Spread one-third of cheese mixture over pasta. Top with about 1 cup of meat mixture in each pan. Repeat layers twice, beginning and ending with pasta.

Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

You may want to bake one lasagna now and save the other one for another day. To freeze: Cover unbaked lasagna with aluminum foil and place in a 1-2 gallon freezer bag. Label and date. When ready to bake, allow to thaw in refrigerator overnight. Bake as directed below.

Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. (Note: while lasagna bakes, consider preparing a lettuce salad and/or garlic bread to serve with the lasagna.)

Per serving (one 4"x4" square): 549 calories, 17g fat, 7g saturated fat, 62mg cholesterol, 1153mg sodium, 61g carbohydrates, 5g fiber, 36g protein, 19mcg folate.

Durum wheat is for the pasta lovers out there! It’s grown primarily in Montana and North Dakota with a little grown in Arizona, California and South Dakota. This wheat has a high protein (aka gluten) content that is perfect for pasta and couscous. Read more about which type of wheat is used for each of our beloved wheat foods. Looking for other simple (and hearty) recipes?

• Layered Taco Casserole
• Skillet Taco Mac

Don't forget to visit our friends at the Wheat Foods Council for more great recipes!