15 Kitchen Drawer Essentials + A Delizioso Lasagna Recipe

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A few days ago I shared with you about an awesome Good Cook event that starts June 2 (OVER)…..that is tomorrow! Are you excited? I am! If you missed the earlier post, the one where I also shared my delectable Chili con Cocoa recipe, it explains the entire sweepstakes!

Today, I have another delicious recipe for you to enjoy! Along with a challenge…one where I had to create my signature dish using at least 7 of 15 kitchen drawer essentials by Good Cook I had selected. Did I meet that challenge? It was no problem! But first, enjoy this recipe for one of the best-tasting lasagna’s you will ever eat!

Ingredients
– 1 pound lean ground beef
– 1 onion, diced
– 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
– 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
– 12 ounces cottage cheese
– 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
– 2 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 tablespoon oregano
– 2 teaspoons salt
– 1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper
– 1 tablespoon white sugar
– 1 egg
– 9 lasagna noodles
– 2 cups water

Instructions
1. Begin by mincing the garlic, and dicing the onion.

2. In a large skillet, brown the beef over medium heat.
3. Once browned, drain and set off to the side.

4. In another large skillet (or the same one, washed) saute the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent.
5. Add in the beef, the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, water, oregano, salt, pepper and sugar. Mix well.

6. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it comes to a boil.
7. Then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

8. While the meat sauce is simmering, in a small bowl, whisk together the cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and the egg until smooth. Add a dash of salt and pepper for seasoning. Mix again, then set aside

9. About 20 minutes before the meat sauce is ready, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and add the noodles.
10. Let boil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the noodles are al dente; drain.
11. Preheat the oven to 350°
12. Once the meat sauce and noodles are done, it is time to layer the ingredients in a 8″ x 12″ baking dish.
13. Begin by spreading about 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.

14. Cover the sauce with 3 noodles, overlapping by 1/4″ to 1/2″.

15. Using a spatula, spread about 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture evenly on top of the noodles.

16. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese on top of the cottage cheese mixture.

17. Begin again with a layer of the meat sauce, then the 3 noodles, then the other half of the cottage cheese mix, followed by 1/3 of the mozzarella.

18. The last layer will be the remainder of the meat sauce topped with the remainder of the mozzarella.
19. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes until the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
20. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

The Good Cook Kitchen Drawer Sweepstakes Part Two Challenge

So back to the challenge I mentioned above! 

As a Good Cook Kitchen Expert blogger, I was given the opportunity to build my own ideal kitchen drawer. So what did I wind up selecting? 

Tools in My Drawer

SLICING AND DICING – have you ever tried to cut with a dull knife? It doesn’t work very well which is why every kitchen needs a good set of sharp knives. every kitchen needs cutting tools, from knives to cut, slice, mince and dice, to graters for shredding.
1. Paring Knife – a paring knife is vital to any knife collection, and comes in different styles. This particular one is a cook’s knife style. I choose it because its small size gives me more control than a larger knife, which makes it perfect for doing intricate work such as mincing garlic or peeling an apple. I also like its soft, round handle which gives me a good grip and better control.
2. 4.5″ Serrated Edge Utility Knife – a staple in any knife collection, I chose this 4.5″ utility knife with a serrated edge because it can be used for cutting a wide variety of foods from sandwich meats to larger vegetables, for which other knives are either too big or too small. It’s serrated edge works great for cutting soft foods with a hard crust such as breads and tomatoes. 
3. 6″ Fine Edge Cooks Knife – another of my favorites, my knife collection is just not complete without a Cooks knife. I like this particular knife as it is a smaller version of the chef knife, which for my small hands, gives me better control. It can alsobe used for practically anything from chopping to slicing to mincing due to the shape of the blade.
4. 7″ Santoku Knife – another knife-collection staple, the Santoku is my personal favorite. It is excellent for chopping fruits and vegetables and slicing meat, and its fine edge makes nice, clean slices. I also like that its wide blade works great for scooping sliced food into bowls or onto a plate. Plus, it has a curved blade which makes the rocking motion when chopping easier and smoother. I chose this particular one because it has a Granton edge – those little hollowed out grooves on both sides of the blade. This type blade works great for getting thin, even cuts of meat without tearing or shredding. It also reduces the chance of food sticking to the knife. I also like its soft, round handle which gives me a good grip and better control.
5. Folding Grater – I chose this grater first of all because of its unique folding design.This grater takes up a lot less room than my old box grater. I also like that it has a ‘handle’ on the top so you can hold it firm with one hand, while grating the food on the other. Graters are essential because they can be used for so may things from thin, slices of carrot to fresh grated herbs!

STIRRING AND SERVING – there’s not much you can cook without the need for stirring, transferring and serving.
6. Silicone Whisk – the whisk is an incredibly handy tools to have in your kitchen drawer. It is ideal for blending ingredients and it does it like no spoon can do! I say this because one of its primary uses is to incorporating air into your mixture (eg: whisking eggs makes them light and fluffy). It also works great for blending ingredients (wet or dry) until the have a very smooth consistency. Plus, nothing sticks to it!
7. 12.5″ Nylon Slotted Spoon – a slotted spoon is another major necessity for any kitchen. How else can you stir and serve foods that are in liquids and need to be strained off before serving? This particular one I chose for its extra wide handle for better grip and control, and for its longer length perfect for reaching into deep pots. The fact that it is nylon keeps my cookware safe from scratches, and the stainless steel stem adds durability.
8. 12.5″ Nylon Basting Spoon – the second most-important spoon in any kitchen, this basting spoon is ideal for stirring sauces, soups and more. It also works great for mixing salads and stir fry, for adding juices on top of meats (basting), and for transferring foods from pot to plate. In addition, the nylon material is safe for my pots and pans, the wide handle provides a better, more comfortable grip, and the stainless stem adds durability.
9. Large Silicone Flex Turner – I chose this turner spatula mainly for its large size and the fact that it is made of silicon. It works great for turning over foods such as eggs, pancakes and tortillas. I don’t have to struggle to keep the foods on it like I do with smaller sized turners. Since it is made of silicon, it is heat-resistant and gentle on my cookware.
10. Straight Tip Scissor Tongs – these tongs are exactly what any cook needs for handling, lifting, transferring and serving a wide variety of foods regardless of shape, size or weight. I personally prefer these type tongs to the straight edge ones because I feel like they get a better grip on the food, and give me better control.
11. Silicone Edge Spatula 2 pack – I love these two spatulas. I chose them because first of all they are made of silicone and won’t scratch my cookware. They are also heat-resistant up to 450°, and won’t easily warp, crack or chip. Secondly, they are an essential tool when it comes to spreading, lifting and mixing. This pack came with 2 sizes: the larger one which is ideal for scraping down the sides of bowls and folding (eg: blueberries into batter). The smaller one which works great for getting the ingredients out of small cans such as tomato paste!

MEASURING AND MORE
12. Double Sided Flip Measuring Cups – I choose these measuring cups for two reasons: their design and their ability to fit perfectly in my tiny kitchen drawers. This set of two unique flip measuring cups are actually four cups in all including 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup sizes. You switch sizes by flipping them inside out. They work great for measuring both liquids and solids. They also come with a connector ring that is made of a durable plastic that won’t crack, bend or break.
13. Collapsible Funnel – every kitchen needs a funnel. You never know when you are going to need to refill your spice bottles, fill a bottle or jar that has a small opening or filter the oil from a deep fryer. This particular funnel fits in my kitchen drawer perfectly because it collapses to 1/4 its size. I am not sure of the material, but it seems very durable. I also like how it has a lip on the handle which gives me a better grip and better control. Its bright color makes it fun, too!
14. 5 Piece Prep Bowls – this set of five prep bowls are definitely a must-have for any cook!I chose these to help make my food prep go faster. I use them to hold the individual ingredients needed for a recipe – spices, an egg, cheese, whatever the recipe calls for. It is much easier than having to search out the ingredient, then measure it out then add it to the pot. Instead, I can just grab the bowl and toss it in! The fact that they double as measuring cups with two measurements per bowl makes things even easier!
15. Double Handle Colander – okay so this colander will not fit in any of my drawers, but if you have a deep drawer you are in luck! Either way, a colander is a must for any kitchen. There are hundreds of uses from straining the oil off the meat you just browned, to washing lettuce for a salad to draining a can of peas. I like this particular one for several reasons. First of all it has a nice, deep and wide bowl so I can fit large foods in it easily. Secondly, the slits are a bit wider than most, providing quicker drainage, but not so large to where the food will fall through. I also like that it has two comfortable, no-slip handles, and it has ‘legs’ so if you set it in the sink, the food is not touching the surface. The plastic it is made of is very durable, and can withstand hot liquids.

So did I meet the challenge of using my tools in this recipe?

Yes! I wound up using 10 of the 15 items when making this recipe:
Cooks Knife – for slicing the onion and mincing the garlic.
5 Piece Prep Bowls – for keeping the cheese, minced garlic and onion in until needed.
Colander – for draining the oil off the browned meat and later for straining the noodles.
Silicone Edge Spatula 2 Pack – I used the smaller one for getting the tomato paste out of the cans, and the larger one for evenly spreading the meat sauce and cheeses when layering the lasagna.
Nylon Basting Spoon – for stirring the meat sauce, and spooning it into the baking dish.
Straight Tip Scissor Tongs – for removing the pasta noodles from the colander once the water was drained.
Double Sided Flip Measuring Cups – for measuring out the correct amount of cheese, water and other ingredients.
Silicone Whisk – for whisking together the cottage cheese, parmesan cheese and the egg.
Santuko Knife – for slicing the lasagna into squares.
Large Silicone Flex Turner – for scooping the lasagna squares out of the dish and onto a plate.