Lasagna Stew

This idea occurred to me the other week, I don't know why I haven't tried this before!! My family loves lasagna, however it's a lot of time to assemble, so usually when I make it I'll make 3-5 of them and freeze them.  Then this idea hit me, and it was SO easy I'm not sure I'll go back to making it the traditional way. Here's how to make it-
Start by making your spaghetti/lasagna sauce.  I like to cook mine all day to get lots of great flavor.  Here's what I typically put in mine, but at the end of the day there's no wrong way- whatever type of sauce you like will work.  Also, I have a big family, my recipe below makes enough to fill a 12 quart pot, this is something we will eat as leftovers for 3-4 days, the recipe is totally adjustable to fit your family size so adjust as needed.

In your stock pot saute:
2 onions- chopped
4 T garlic
2 T sun dried tomatoes

Once the onions and garlic are starting to get a little caramelization (that's where the flavor is) add:

3-4 lbs ground beef

chop and cook the beef with the onion mixture. (you can also add seasonings at this point if you like)

Once the beef is cooked pour in:
1 extra large jar of spaghetti sauce (Costco size)
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 regular size jars of spaghetti sauce (I like to mix up flavors)

Simmer as long as you like, you may need to add some water if you're going to simmer it very long (the water will cook out)

When your sauce is ready, break 1 box of lasagna noodles up into 2-3 inch pieces and put directly into the sauce (uncooked)
Stir and cook until the noodles are soft.
Once the noodles are cooked add:
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
Mix into the sauce, then top with more mozzarella (enough to cover the top layer)

Turn off the burner and let the stew sit long enough to melt the top layer of cheese without stirring.
(this is a good time to heat up some garlic bread)

  













Serve with a scoop of cottage or ricotta cheese on top (optional)

Enjoy!