Recipe Archives->Pasta->Mock Ravioli

Mock Ravioli

2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 lb ground round or sirloin (less than 14% fat)
3/4 cup salted saltine crackers, very finely crushed
1 cup grated parmesan cheese 
1 10-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and finely chopped
3 8-oz. (small) cans tomato sauce
10-oz. package lasagna noodles

Simmer onions in oil/butter until cooked (35-40 minutes), drain.
Fry ground beef in small amount oil/butter, drain.  Place all
ingredients (onions, meat, crackers, cheese, spinach) in a large
mixing bowl, together with 8oz of the tomato sauce.  Mix ingredients
very thoroughly (clean hands work best here).  If mixture seems
dry, add some "spinach water" until moist.  Cook lasagna noodles
per package instructions.

With back of a spoon, spread thin layer of remaining tomato sauce
in a long (13X9X3 inch) casserole dish.

Place a layer of cooked noodles atop the sauce, brush with more
sauce.

Add a THIN layer of filling, centered the length of each noodle
strip.

Continue to alternate noodles, sauce, and filling until casserole
dish is filled (typically requires 3-4 noodle layers). Top layer
should be noodles (brushed with sauce), then sprinkled lavishly
with additional parmesan or romano cheese.

Bake, covered with aluminum foil, in a moderate (350 deg F.) oven
until hot and bubbly (30-35 minutes). Alternately, cover casserole
with plastic wrap and microwave on HIGH power for similar time,
bubbly condition.

Printable version: mock-ravioli.txt.