Day 5--Tex-Mex Lasagna

Not a totally Mexican dish for Cinco de Mayo, but a tasty lasagna. The main thing to remember with this dish is to prep it the day before--because it sits in the refrigerator overnight.

Tex-Mex Lasagna

Sauce:

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup tomato paste

1 cup picante sauce (whatever heat you like)

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

1/2 pound uncooked lasagna noodles

Sauce:

Brown ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Drain.

Add tomato paste, picante sauce, water and herbs. Mix well.

In another bowl, combine ricotta and 3/4 cup of the mozzarella.

Spray a 7 x 11 pan well. Layer the ingredients as follows:

1/3 cup sauce

half of the uncooked lasagna noodles

half of the cheese mixture

repeat layers then top with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to  350. Uncover lasagna and bake for 1 hour or until light golden in color. Remove from oven and let stand 20 minutes before serving. Serves 6