I lived in New Mexico for several years and started making my lasagna with a southwest kick. Then I tried the same recipe with ground elk and I'll never go back to plain lasagna again. I hope you enjoy it!
Category:
Main Dish
Ingredients:
2 lbs Ground Elk, 8 ounces fresh roasted diced green chiles (canned is okay too) 1 large yellow onion - diced, 4 cloves of garlic - minced, 2 large tomatoes - diced, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp fresh chopped cilantro (dried really doesn't work at all so use fresh if you can), 2 bay leaves, 1tsp sugar (I use raw sugar but granulated is fine), 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 12 oz can of plain tomato sauce (no pre-maid stuff), 1 cup low fat cottage cheese, 2 cups shredded mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, and one 16oz box of lasagna noodles.
Instruction:
In a large pot add the olive oil and place on high heat. When the oil is hot add the onion, garlic, oregano and basil. Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the dried herbs start to absorb the oil and the garlic and onions start to get a little tender. Then add the ground elk and the fresh cilantro. Lower the heat to medium high and cook for about 10 minutes or until the meat is nicely browned (I leave some of the larger chunks slightly pink because it will continue to cook later but you can brown it thoroughly if you want). Then add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. While the sauce is simmering boil your lasagna noodles according to the package. Be sure to leave them slightly under cooked, not quite al dente, because they will continue to cook in the oven. When the noodles are done, drain them and set them aside. Now with the sauce and noodles ready it is time to layer the lasagna. In a 14x9 baking pan spread a thin layer of sauce, then sprinkle cottage cheese, diced green chiles and mozzarella over the sauce followed by a layer of noodles placed side by side to fill the dish. You will be doing this several times so try to judge the amounts carefully. Repeat these layers until your pan is full or you are out of ingredients. Then top the dish off with a final layer of sauce and cheese. I usually save some extra parmesan for the top. Cover pan with foil and place in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, uncover and continue to bake for another 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
