All-American Lasagna

Wow, what is with all of this snow! I used to be so excited for snow because it meant a snow day off from school, but now it really is no different from any other day. The only good thing is that Tyler has worked from home for a few of these snow days which Leah and I always enjoy! I went out the other morning morning to shovel half of the driveway to try and lessen the load for later  when we had to shovel the rest, and that was some heavy heavy snow! I know a lot of people are without electric today because of the ice, luckily we haven't lost power, which hopefully means we are in the clear.

This recipe is a new one I tried from Rachael Ray. I liked it a lot for something different from regular lasagna.... Tyler thought the broccoli in it was weird, but I didn't mind. You could really adapt it to have anything you want in it. It was a little time consuming to make, sooo I might not make it again.

All-American Lasagna

4 Tbsp. butter
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cup milk, warmed
12 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup ketchup
1 bunch broccoli florets - cut into 1 inch pieces
3/4 lb. dried lasagna noodles

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook 2 minutes. a=Add the flour ad cook, stirring for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk; bring to a simmer and whisk for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 8 oz. cheddar and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

2. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil and add onion and 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper, cook, stirring until the onion is softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until well browned.

3. Stir in the tomatoes, ketchup and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a simmer, cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, about 30 minutes. Let cool.

4. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 2 inches of water to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes; drain. Chop and season with salt and pepper.

5. Cook noodles according to package directions until al dente.

6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

7. Pour in 3/4 cup of the meat sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Spoon on 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce and 1/2 cup of the remaining shredded cheddar. Add another layer of noodles, half of the broccoli, 1 3/4 cups of the cheese sauce and another layer of noodles. Repeat with more meat sauce, the remaining cheddar, more noodles, the remaining broccoli and more cheese sauce. Add a fifth layer of noodles, the remaining meat sauce and the remaining cheese sauce. Cover the pan with a sheet of foil.

8. Bake for 1 hour; uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.