Mom's Birthday Lasagna

Happy Birthday to me! Or at least it was a few days ago & I finally got around to making my birthday dinner. Yes, you read that right. I made my birthday dinner. You see, it's the same dinner my Mom made for me growing up. 

Looks yummy, doesn't it? Complete with store bought garlic bread just like Mom served with it.

Now here's the part where I share the family recipe. I'm not sure where it originated exactly, but it was the only lasagna I knew up until I met my husband. But this is by far my favorite. Ever.

First, start by boiling 9 lasagna noodles in salted water until done. Don't forget to stir them gently so they won't stick together.

When your noodles are cooked to perfection, drain them & rinse with cold water. As an extra precaution to make sure my noodles don't stick together while they're waiting on me, I fill my pot with cold water & let them sit till I'm ready.

Now for the sauce. You will need:

1 large onion

1 lb. lean hamburger

1 clove garlic (I used a jar of minced, garlic powder would work too)

parsley

1/4 C. olive oil

2 cans stewed tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can tomato paste

Just throw everything into a large pot, raw meat & all. This is where people start to make those looks, but I assure you it will be OK.

Bring your pot to a boil while stirring. Turn down to a simmer & let cook about 20 minutes or so. Your meat will be thoroughly cooked by this point & you will have a nice saucy texture.

Now it's time to put our cheese sauce together. You will need:

4 Tbsp. margarine

1-2 small onions (I prefer 2)

3 Tbsp. flour

3/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese

2 C. milk

2 egg yolks

Start by sauteing your onions in the margarine until they're cooked through & turning translucent. Be sure you use a very large skillet. If you don't have one, perhaps a medium sized pot would work better for you.

Add your flour & Parmesan cheese to make a nice roux. Be sure to keep your stove top on a low-medium heat setting & stir continuously to keep from browning.

Slowly add your 2C. milk while stirring. Bring mixture to a boil.

Time for your egg yolks. Just be sure you take a few spoonfuls of your cheese sauce mixture & add them to your yolks. This will prevent curdling, which would just be...not good. 

Add your egg yolk mixture to your sauce mixture. See how golden delicious it looks now? This is also the part where I tend to add an extra little bit of Parmesan. Shhhh...don't tell.

ASSEMBLY TIME!!! Don't forget to spray your 9x13 with some cooking spray beforehand. Step 1: noodles

Step 2: sauce (be sure to spread evenly)

Step 3: cheese sauce (just plop it here & there)

Repeat your layers 2 more times & place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.

voilà! golden deliciousness. 

& what's even better, is that it tastes even better the next day!