Beach Fresh Diaries: Layers of Lasagna

On March 5th, 2020, the Beach Freshers learned how to make Garfield’s favorite food: lasagna. They also made salad, garlic bread with real, homemade garlic butter. This was a special week because our new meal program Coordinator La Tanya Horace took charge and taught the BF for the first time.

La Tanya provided guidance while asking what recipes/food that the BF liked, so they can learn how to cook those meals in the future. Her passionate, confident, leadership style sets a great tone for the evening.

The process to make lasagna is a simple one, here are the tasks that some of the BF were assigned. The BF sat around a table to do their tasks as the kitchen can get a little crowded. Fatima prepared the salad, while Zion made the cheese sauce, and the other BF pitched in while also talking about things like friendships, and dating. The music theme for this week was the 2000s. “My Boo” by Usher and Alicia Keys was the first song of the evening.

BF Safiyat was a rockstar as she stepped up and cut the bell peppers and onions. While backs were turned, she added a series of spices, sometimes sneaking in a little more parsley, or paprika here and there–making the sauce even more delicious. She even took over Zion’s job of spreading the cheese sauce when she felt he was going just a bit too slow. During a bit of rare downtime, I took pictures and was called the paparazzi by fellow BF Zion. Enjoy the pictures above and the recipe below!

HOMEMADE LAZAGNA – BEACH FRESH 3/5/2020

RECIPE

Meat Sauce

1 POUND OF LEAN GROUND BEEF OR WHATEVER MEAT YOU CHOOSE

1 8 OZ CAN OF TOMATOE SAUCE

1 24 OZ CAN OF DICED/CRUSHED TOMATOES

1 TEASPOON OF CHOPPED FRESH PARSLEY

1 GARLIC CLOVE

½ TEASPOON DRIED OREGONO

½ CUP MINCED ONION

½ TEASPOON WHITE SUGAR

1 ½ TEASSPOON DRIED BASIL

1 ½ TEASPOON OF SALT

1 16 oz pack of lasagna noodles

Cheese Filing

1 pound/16oz of shredded mozzarella cheese

1 pond/16oz of Parmesan cheese

1 pound/16oz of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese

3 eggs

16 oz of fresh or frozen spinach

½ teaspoon Oregano

½ teaspoon of Basil

½ teaspoon of black pepper

Homemade Garlic spread

2/3 whole Garlic cloves

½ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon of salted butter

(Put cloves in small baking dish pour olive oil over it put butter in dish and roast in oven for 25 min)

Directions

Instructions Checklist

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and set aside. Or purchase lasagna noodles already prepared.

Step 2

Place beef/turkey/chicken in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Stir in tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, parsley, garlic, oregano, onion, sugar, basil and salt. Simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 3

In a large bowl, combine cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, parsley, basil, oregano, spinach, salt and pepper.

Step 4

In a 9×13 inch baking dish, place 1 layers of noodles on the bottom of dish; layer 1/2 of the cheese mixture, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 of the sauce; repeat layers.

Step 5

Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes; let stand for 10 minutes before cutting; serve.