Pepperoni Lasagna

Seems that I have shocked the world with the mention of Pepperoni in lasagna and I have been asked to post a recipe. A few blogs back I have one on how much I love to use pepperoni. I really love it in a pasta sauce because it gives  a little spicy kick.I have had so many Italians, my wife included in this catagory, tell me that they have never used pepperoni in this way. Shocking to me. My family growing up used pepperoni  whenever we could.

The use of pepperoni in lasagna is no big deal. I cook a pot of homeade sauce. I slice up 2 sticks of my favorite brand of pepperoni which is Hormel. I prefer the sticks over presliced because I like the slices of pepperoni to be about 1/4" thick. I add the slices except for about a good handfull to the sauce and let it simmer for about an hour so that the pepperoni absorbs some of the sauce and the sauce gets that little spicy kick from the pepperoni flavor.

For a cheese filling I prefer the taste of cottage cheese over Ricotta cheese. I usually mix 3 cups of drained cottage cheese, 1 cup of mozerella cheese, 1/2 cup of grated cheese, 2 beaten eggs and salt and pepper to taste.

If I want a meat sauce I will add about a lb of browned ground beef to the sauce, sometimes I will blend a mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage that has been crumbled. My wife likes to use the ground beef, pork and veal mixture.

To build the lasagna I usually coat the bottom of a rectangular casserole dish with olive oil and then sauce. I then place a layer of cooked lasagna noodles. I don't fully cook the lasagna noodles. I usually cook them for about 8 minutes, I only want the noodles to be pliable. They will finish cooking as they bake  in the sauce. Spoon a layer of the meat sauce over this layer. Another layer of noodles and then the cheese mixture. Another layer of noodles and then meat sauce.  After the top layer of noodles go on I will cover with sauce, Sprinkle the top with mozerella cheese and then place that good handfull of pepperoni on the surface like a pizza. I like to cover the lasagna and place it in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, remove cover and bake about another 15 minutes or until the cheese on the top is a nice golden brown. I then remove the lasagna from the oven and allow it to cool and set for about 15 minutes so that  it can be cut and served without falling appart.

I hope that someone out there mixes some pepperoni into their sauce and find that they enjoy it as much as those around me do.  I find it very enjoyable and really proud of myself when I get a request for it from friends when they come over for a meal.