Sitting down to a nice meal with family is one of life’s simple pleasures. Both the food and the conversation become the centerpiece of the gathering. And, no one does it better than Grandma (or Mimi as some families call her). You won’t find a lot of fancy cooking in her kitchen, but you will find delicious meals that feed a crowd- just like Mimi’s beef lasagna recipe.

Lasagna in an Italian restaurant will most likely contain sausage, ricotta, and traditional lasagne noodles. But, this take is a little more down home. This lasagna recipe instead calls for ground beef, cottage cheese, and wide egg noodles.

After your pasta is cooked until al dente and drained, the next step is to brown the beef. To the beef you add the spices, tomatoes, and onion to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Then it’s time to layer the lasagna. Start by putting down a layer of the egg noddles in your baking dish, followed by about 1/3 of the cottage cheese. Then top with 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat this process until all the ingredients are used up (except for the mozzarella and parmesan).

For the best result don’t add the mozzarella on top before baking begins. Do add the parmesan cheese and bake the lasagna (covered) for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and top with the mozzarella. Then bake for another 20 minutes (uncovered). This way the top layer of cheese becomes melted, but not burned.

And that’s the way to make this hearty and comforting meal. Serve with garlic bread and a salad and you will have a meal that’s fit for a family gathering- be it a big Sunday dinner with all the gang or a simple weekday supper.