Lasagna Queen

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Until a few weeks ago, I had made lasagna maybe three times, and each time it had come out a runny mess. But no more. OK, maybe "queen" is too dramatic of a word to use, but I feel like I have finally brought this dish into submission, thanks to my secret weapon: oven-ready noodles.

I don't know what possessed me to volunteer to bring lasagna to small group, but there it was, and two pans of it nonetheless. Then I remembered my track record with it, and I was suddenly overcome with this feeling of "what have I done?!" I found some recipes online that looked promising (lots of good reviews, in other words), and we headed to the grocery store. That's when I saw them...oven-ready lasagna noodles, right next to the regular lasagna noodles, for the same price. It was one of those moments where the box looked like it was glowing, and you could hear angels singing...it sounded too good to be true! So I read the back of the box, and it turns out that there really is no boiling involved; you just layer the dry noodles in the pan with your other ingredients, and the liquid from the sauce cooks the noodles while the whole thing is baking! Amazing! And just the perfect thing for a girl who couldn't make a lasagna without having it fall apart on the plate.

I actually assembled everything the day before because they took so long to bake, but when all was said and done...two perfect pans of delicious lasagna: one meat, and one veggie. They held together when cut, and they were a big hit at small group! Thank you, oven-ready noodles; I am forever in your debt.

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