Thousand Layer Lasagna

This is lasagna number two and my sister Stephanie shared this recipe with me.  Preston loves this lasagna and just thinking about it makes my mouth water.  It is great summer lasagna.

Thousand Layer Lasagna

1 pound package lasagna noodles
butter to prep baking dish

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I use less)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed organic tomatoes
zest of one lemon

16-ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced into thin pieces
Slivered basil (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375.

Make your sauce: Place the olive oil, salt, pepper flakes, and garlic in a pan. Dial the heat up and sauté for a minute or two. Add the tomatoes and slowly bring to a simmer as well. Remove from heat, stir in the lemon zest and taste for seasoning. Add more salt if needed. Set aside.

Fill a large pot full of water and bring to a boil.Butter a deep, square baking dish. The one I use is 9x9 and 2 1/2-inches deep.

Pre-cook the pasta: Salt your pot of boiling water generously.  Cook pasta according to package directions. When the noodles are finished cooking, drain, rinse with cool water, and lay the noodles flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.

Ladle a bit of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Cover the bottom with a layer of lasagna noodles (I cut mine so that they fit nicely in the bottom of the pan).  Top the noodles with a thin layer of sauce and then a layer of mozzarella cheese. Go for another layer of pasta, then sauce, then cheese.  Keep layering until you have used all of the sauce and cheese.  You want to finish with a layer of pasta (I usually have 4 noodles or so that I don’t use from the 1-pound package). Top with the last of the sauce and the very last of the cheese so you have a nice cheesy top.

Bake until everything is melted, about 35 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Serve with slivered basil and parmesan.

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks http://www.101cookbooks.com/