Some time ago now, I found a recipe online entitled “Almost Lasagna”. I figured I would post the recipe here, and the picture I took of the final result.
It’s a very cheap recipe, with loads of food. I think one of these lasts me for about 4 or 5 days of dinner. I live alone in a studio apartment, so having a cheap dish to make that lasts for days is always a good thing. This one is really for the cheeselovers out there, there’s a lot of it.

Ingredients:

500 grams of macaroni shells or similar
500 grams of ground meat. Beef, turkey, sausage or tofu are all great choices. I’ve only ever made it with beef though.
1x 700 grams jar of pasta sauce
2x eggs
500 grams of ricotta cheese. I usually use cream cheese instead, as ricotta is not always easy to find.
500 grams of shredded mozzarella cheese
100 grams of freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 cups of veggies. Yummy, though not required. Matchstick carrots, dried zucchini and such are excellent choices.
Salad as a side dish, if not having veggies. Or if one really likes veggies and salad, go for both.

Directions:

1) Brown meat and drain well, if necessary.
2) While meat is cooking, stir together eggs, ricotta, grated parmesan and add salt and pepper.
3) Mix cooked meat, macaroni, sauce and veggies. Add ricotta mixture and blend well.
4) Coat a large baking pan with cooking spray or olive oil and spread half of macaroni mixture evenly over the bottom.
5) Top with a cup of mozzarella and a healthy sprinkle of grated Parmesan.
Add the remaining macaroni mixture and top with another cup of mozzarella and another sprinkle of Parmesan. Cover with foil.
6) Heat your oven to 180 degrees C and bake the casserole for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes until the cheese on top is lightly browned and bubbly.

My result:

There you have it, a delicious meal. Enjoy!