OVEN READY LASAGNA--EASY AND DELICIOUS--THE BEST EVER!

For many years the recipe I used for my lasagna took hours to prepare--making the sauce from scratch, cooking the noodles, etc.  I dirtied several pans and bowls--but it was so good.  Well, I found a recipe that takes a fraction of the time, using no-cook, oven ready noodles, and Prego sauce--no need to simmer the sauce now for 2 hours.  I was sceptical, but  gave it a try.  I think it rivals my all-day recipe, and the family loves it--Plus, it's quick and easy!  If you have a favorite recipe that calls for cooked noodles and don't want to change it other than that, just add 1 Cup water to your sauce, and use the oven-ready lasagna noodles and it will turn out just fine.  You also need to adjust the heat, cooking at a higher heat.  The recipe calls for 2 containers ricotta cheese, but I think it's moister using 1 container each of ricotta and cottage cheese. 

BEST OVEN-READY LASAGNA 
1 12-oz. pkg oven ready lasagna noodles
2 15-oz containers ricotta cheese (or 1 container ricotta and 1 15-oz tub cottage cheese)
2 Cups shredded mozzarella cheese (halved)
1/2 Cup grated Parmesan cheese (halved)
1 lb. lean ground beef, cooked and drained
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 26-oz. Prego garden vegetable spaghetti sauce
1 can tomato paste
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Cup water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (unless baking at a later date).  Combine ricotta, (and cottage cheese, if used), 1 Cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese, eggs and dried basil.  Mix well.  Brown ground beef, adding 1 Cup water and the tomato paste and sugar.  Remove from heat.  In another small bowl, combine 1 Cup mozzarella with 1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese.  Get ready to assemble the lasagna.  In a deep, 9x13 lasagna pan, spread 1/2 Cup of the meat sauce.  Then place 1/3 lasagna oven ready noodle over the sauce.  Spread 1/2 of the cheese mixture over the noodles, covering all of the noodles.  Top with 1/3 of the meat mixture.  Repeat layering once.  Top with remaining lasagna noodles, then sauce.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese/Parmesan cheese.  Wrap the lasagna pan tightly with a double layer of foil.  Bake for 60 minutes or until the lasagna is fork-tender.  Let stand for 10 minutes in the foil before cutting and serving.  Makes 9-12 large servings.