Cream Cheese Lasagna

This is not your everyday lasagna. In fact, I've never eaten a lasagna with cream cheese in it before! But, if you're looking for a cheesy, gooey lasagna that is rich and delicious, this is worth a try! I wanted to make lasagna for dinner but did not want to go to the store. However, I did not have ricotta or even cottage cheese on hand, so I had to get creative. I combined cream cheese, goat cheese, Parmesan and egg white, and it turned out great! Feel free to substitute your favorite ingredients. As long as each layer is properly seasoned and assembled with love, your lasagna will be fantastico too!

Cream Cheese Lasagna

Gooey, rich and delicious!
Serves 4

9 no-cook lasagna noodles
3 cups prepared spaghetti sauce
1/4 pound ground beef, cooked through
1/4 pound Italian sausage, cooked through
4 oz (half block) cream cheese, softented
2 oz goat cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped and divided
1 egg white
4 slices provolone cheese
Kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cooked ground beef and Italian sausage, set aside.

Combine cream cheese, goat cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg white and parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.

Spoon 1/4 cup spagetti sauce onto the bottom of an 8x8 glass dish. Layer 3 lasagna noodles. Top noodles with 1/4 cup more sauce (make sure they're completely saturated with sauce). Layer half the meat mixture on top of sauce. Drizzle 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture on top of beef. Top with two large provolone slices (cut in quarters to evenly cover). Drizzle with more spaghetti sauce.

Repeat- Layer 3 more lasagna noodles, top with sauce, meat mixture, cream cheese, provolone slices, and more spaghetti sauce.

Layer final 3 lasagna noodles, top with remaining spaghetti sauce,and drizzle with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with the rest of the Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Bake in oven covered with tin foil for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with garlic bread and Chianti.

Recipe by Sarah Lang

Wine of the Night

Querceto
Chianti Classico
2007

There is nothing I love better with red-sauce Italian food than a good bottle of chianti. The acidity in the sangiovese grape is the perfect complement to tomato sauce. This fantastic bottle was a wedding gift from a wine-enthusiast couple, and we loved it!