Dried parsley or chopped fresh basilfor garnish (if desired)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pour about 1/4 cup pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish. Turn the dish so the sauce evenly coats the bottom of the dish in a thin layer, adding more sauce as needed.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook ground beef until browned and no pink remains, 6 to 8 minutes, breaking the meat into small chunks as it cooks. Drain the grease.
Return the skillet to the stove. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add in all but 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together sour cream and ricotta until smooth and well combined. Add basil, nutmeg, parsley, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. (Feel free to adjust the seasoning to your taste. I like a lot of nutmeg and go heavy on it when I make this dish.)
Assembly:
Line the bottom of the baking dish with lasagna noodles in a single layer.
Pour half the ricotta mixture over the pasta, and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella evenly over the ricotta. Pour half the meat sauce over the mozzarella and spread into an even layer.
Place a single layer of noodles over the meat sauce and repeat the layers: remaining ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, remaining meat sauce. Make another layer of past on top of the meat sauce. Pour the reserved 1/2 cup pasta sauce over the noodles and spread the sauce evenly (to keep the noodles moist). Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella evenly over the top of the dish.
Cover the baking dish loosely with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes to let the cheese brown a little. (If the cheese doesn't bubble and brown like you want, turn your broiler to high for a minute or two until you get the cheese the way you like it.)
Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
I usually make a half batch in a 9-inch by 9-inch baking dish for me and Mike. The cooking time stays the same, but half the ingredients. (Use pasta as needed to fill the dish.)The oven ready lasagna noodles are my new favorite cheat. I don't burn my hands cutting the cooked noodles to size and I can put any noodles I didn't use away for next time. LOVE it!