Quick and Easy Dinner: Shepherds Lasagna
By: Amy Jeanroy
Published: December 28, 2014

Late nights at work mean scrambling for your dinner. That is, unless you come to the kitchen prepared to pull something together. It doesn't take much to have a few ingredients on hand that can be made into multiple recipes. We love the ones that involve pasta. 
This dish includes kid friendly foods and a cook-friendly prep time. It's hearty enough for a cold winter night, while making everyone in the family ask for it often.
Shepherds Lasagna
Serves 8 with 3 pieces left over.
1 1/2 pounds of medium shell macaroni
1 pound hamburger
1/2 inch pepperoni, minced
1 onion, diced
1 cup broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup carrots, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 16 ounce container cottage cheese
1 egg
1 cup mozzarella shredded and divided
Directions:
After cutting up all the veg into your family’s favorite sized pieces, saute them in a bit of olive oil until fairly soft.
Meanwhile, heat enough salted water to a boil for shells. Cook them until Al Dente and drain.
Fry meat until no pink remains, season as your family likes. Try some Tamari and some hot pepper flakes. Drain meat if needed, and set aside.
Combine cooked vegetables with the tomato sauce, set aside
In cottage cheese container, crack one egg and stir until combined. Then, stir in 1/2 cup mozzarella and you are ready for layering.
In a lasagna pan, coat the bottom with a couple of ladles of sauce.
Add meat in a single layer and spread evenly over sauce
Add another sauce layer
Add noodle layer, making certain to spread evenly to all the sides.
Add cheesy layer, spreading it evenly over the noodles. Leave a small gap of 1/4 inch around all sides.
Add final sauce as the next layer, spreading it all but 1/2 inch from each edge. This is for presentation really, feel free to go right to the edge if desired.
Finally, sprinkle on remaining 1/2 mozz cheese. Add any obligatory Italian seasonings to the top.
Bake 375 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.