Lasagna is one of my husband’s favorite meals, and I’ve been teaching the boys to cook here and there, so it seemed like a natural fit to surprise dad with his favorite dinner on his birthday, made by his own sons! Our recipe is easy, but it was still the most complicated thing the boys have yet to cook, so it was a culinary adventure for them and a fun afternoon for us as we spent some time in the kitchen together browning, cooking, and mixing for their father. It was fun!
Otamot (tomato backwards) is an all-natural, healthy tomato sauce that you couldn’t really call just a tomato sauce, because it’s got about 10 other vegetables in it too, resulting in an utterly delicious sauce- something beyond any tomato sauce we’ve ever tasted. I love vegetables, so a sauce that tasted like it has sweet potato, mushrooms, and more in it was phenomenal. Otamot tomato sauce was created through a partnership between a dad of a picky eater and a culinary expert and author with the goal of creating a tomato sauce that would add nutrients to our typical daily meals that basically lacked essential vitamins we all need. A jar of Otamot contains (in addition to vine ripened tomatoes) carrots, red bell peppers, sweet potato, red beets, leek, sweet onion, garlic, portobello mushrooms, butternut squash, and grapeseed oil. It’s packed with vitamin D, Vitamin A, a slew of B vitamins, Zinc, Folic Acid, and more, providing many vitamins in a meal that you typically wouldn’t find particularly nutritious, like spaghetti and sauce. Every dinner can now be more tasty and healthy.
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The best times are together
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As the boys grow older, I become more and more eager to have special, memorable, fun times together. I love cooking with them, and teaching them to make a comfort food like a delicious, healthy, hearty lasagna is awesome. I can picture them making it in college to sustain them through long night cramming sessions during midterms and finals, or one day making it on the weekends for their own family dinners. Happy-making thoughts ♥︎
“Bake With The Kids” Lasagna
Ingredients
1/2 box lasagna noodles – enough for three layers
1 pound ground beef
2 jars (4 cups) Otamot tomato sauce
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Provolone cheese
1 cup shredded or sliced mozzarella
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375º F. Cook lasagna noodles according to box instructions for al dente.
2. Brown the meat in a pan on the stove over medium heat. Add 2 cups Otamot tomato sauce to ground beef and stir together for two minutes, then remove from heat.
3. Mix ricotta and parmesan or provolone cheese in a bowl and set aside.
4. Grease bottom of a baking dish (we use avocado oil). Add enough Otomat sauce to bottom of baking dish to lightly cover it.
5. Cover sauce with one layer of lasagna noodles.
6. Spoon some more Otamot tomato sauce mixture over the noodles and top with the cheese mixture.
7. Add another layer of noodles and top with the ground beef mixture, and add a layer of mozzarella on top.
8. Top with a final layer of noodles and cover with a thin layer of the remaining Otamot tomato sauce.
9. Bake lasagna at 375º F for 40 minutes.
10. Let lasagna rest for 10 minutes, slice, and serve.
Ready to bake!
If you noticed that I didn’t add any other veggies (like onions, or peppers) you are right. I didn’t need to since so many are already in the Otamot tomato sauce. We added our favorite cheeses, ground beef, and Otamot tomato sauce in between layers of the lasagna noodles, making it super easy to make with kids. The best meals are shared together, at home, with the best ingredients. Our lasagnas were always tasty, but now they are even more delicious and nutritious, and my sons now know how to cook easy lasagna too.
Dad was very happy and surprised by what his boys made him ♥︎
Brought to you by Otamot.