Mimi’s Old Faithful Lasagna

Comfort food at its finest.

This is one of the few all-time-favorite recipes that I accidentally left out of Leslie’s Party Diaries. I’m not sure why.

Casseroles are not really glamorous, and usually are a photographic nightmare, but sometimes more than often, it’s the best option for a crowd—especially in a preparation time crunch.

“There’s a time and a place for everything.”

I remember having Mimi’s Old Faithful Lasagna growing up on a fall night, and we often had it on Thanksgiving Eve. My mom is a master at meal planning (and Judy Feagin, you are second) and always made sure our meals had such variety of flavors. Italian is the perfect choice before your Thanksgiving feast.

This casserole also freezes well, which comes in super handy during the holiday season. Go ahead and get this in your freezer for a spur-of-the-moment party emergency.

Mimi’s Old Faithful Lasagna

Serves 12

1 ½ pounds ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup chopped onion

1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes, petite diced

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon oregano

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

12 ounces sliced or shredded mozzarella

1-pound carton cottage cheese, small curd

8-ounce package egg noodles, narrow or medium width

½ cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat brown and crumble ground beef; drain, then return it to the skillet, and add next 7 ingredients. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

It takes only a few minutes to throw this sauce together.

In a 3-quart greased baking dish, alternate layers of noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and meat sauce. Repeat layers ending with the meat sauce.

Here’s a quick assembly step-by-step. 

Step 1: Layer half of the cooked noodles into a greased baking dish.

“It’s a lot less hassle to assemble with old-fashioned egg noodles than the traditional lasagna noodles.”

Step 2: Dollop half of the cottage cheese evenly over the bed of noodles.

“I like the substitution of cottage cheese over the normal ricotta because it seems to melt better into the meat sauce.”

Step 3: Place half of the mozzerella slices evenly on top of the cottage cheese layer. I prefer sliced over shredded, so try to find it for this dish.
Step 4: Top with half of the meat sauce; then repeat steps 1 through 4, ending with the meat sauce. Cover tightly with foil.

Cover and bake 20 minutes; remove from oven and add Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake an additional 20 minutes or longer until hot and bubbly.

Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

Yields 12 Servings

Mimi’s Old Faithful Lasagna
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Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can tomatoes, petite diced
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon oregano
  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 12 ounces sliced or shredded mozzarella
  • 1-pound carton cottage cheese, small curd
  • 8-ounce package egg noodles, narrow or medium width
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat brown and crumble ground beef; drain, then return it to the skillet
  3. Add next 7 ingredients. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. In a 3-quart greased baking dish, alternate layers of noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and meat sauce. Repeat layers ending with the meat sauce.
  5. Cover and bake 20 minutes; remove from oven and add Parmesan cheese.
  6. Cover and bake an additional 20 minutes or longer until hot and bubbly.
  7. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving.
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https://dearpartydiary.com/mimis-old-faithful-lasagna/

If you need a dish to take a neighbor or friend, this is truly a crowd-pleaser. It makes a lot, so it can be divided into two smaller baking dishes instead of the one large.

Meet Mimi! A tried-and-true veteran of the kitchen. You’ve got to love anyone in an apron with pearls attached! Thanks, Mom, for all your endless hours in the kitchen making every meal better than the last.
Have this ready in your freezer or throw it together at the last minute. It’s a relaxing party waiting to happen.
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