"Simple" Lasagna

Made this last nite. Potatey is not a big fan of 'mixing food groups', so he didn't go for it. Salamander however LOVED it (and I had some for dinner too.. Yum, yum)

Ketchup (I use my home made ketchup)
Browned ground beef
1 large can (28 oz) Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes
Tinkyada Brown Rice Lasagna


Preheat oven to 375 F.

In rectangular Pyrex baking dish (told you I love my Pyrex dishes), pour layer of ketchup, sufficiently to cover bottom of baking dish.
Sprinkle ground beef over ketchup.
Place single layer of Lasagna on ketchup/beef mixture (try to NOT have the Lasagna sheets overlap too much; overlapped areas take longer to cook and can get 'chewy').

Cover Lasagna with Diced Tomatoes (you want the tomato juices too; it'll help cook and soften the lasagna).
Sprinkle ground beef over diced tomatoes.
Place single layer of Lasagna on diced tomatoes/beef mixture.

Cover Lasagna with Diced Tomatoes and sprinkle ground beef over diced tomatoes.
Place single layer of Lasagna on diced tomatoes/beef mixture.

Cover Lasagna completely with ketchup. Sprinkle ground beef on ketchup.

Place baking dish in oven and cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour (the ketchup/diced tomato/tomato juices need to be bubbling) unit the Lasagna is soft and you can 'cut' things with a fork.

Let cool a bit and serve. Makes great left overs.

(when we're back in zucchini season next year, I'll add sliced or shredded zucchini in with the diced tomato/beef layers. I'll let you know how THAT turns out)

Ketchup....

Especially Potatey LOVES ketchup... and any gluten free, soy free, dairy free etc free store bought ketchup I would bring into the house would inevitable become the PRIME staple of what he would eat. EVERYTHING would get doused in ketchup. And I have no idea why (maybe the sweeteners? maybe some traces of corn?)

So I started making my own. And lo and behold, Potatey still likes his ketchup, but it is now truly a condiment/side -dish, NOT the main course.

I either use 2 cans of Muir Glen Organic Chunky Tomato Sauce (28 oz), or 4 cans of Muir Glen Organic Tomato Sauce (15 oz can). If I use *the chunky*, I run it throw the blender first so it becomes a nice, smooth paste (yes, defeats the purpose of chunky, but this is what I do).

I pour either the blended 2 cans of *chunky* or the 4 cans of *not chunky* in a large cooking pot (I am sure a crock pot would work too, haven't tried that yet).

I add 1 table spoon of Spectrum unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar, some salt and pepper (and if I have them, a few bay leaves), stir it all in and then I'll let the mixture bowl down and simmer (first at medium heat to get it going and then at low heat) for about 1 to 2 hours. You'll end up with a nice, thick sauce.

Once it's boiled down, I add two table spoons of honey. And a little more salt and pepper, as needed, to taste.

Voila, ketchup is ready. I make a batch probably once every 5 to 6 days. And I put the ketchup in glass jars and store it in my fridge. I should probably can the stuff properly, but as I go through it fairly quickly, I haven't had a batch go bad yet.

[I am currently experimenting with making ketchup from fresh tomatoes. I'll post the recipe once I have it together. One thing I CAN already share; you need a juicer if you decide to use fresh tomatoes]