Mock Ravioli
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 1 pound 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
Instructions
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.