Lasagna with Meatballs - Original Recipe

Lasagna happens to be my favorite meal.  It has been for as long as I can remember.  There are so many different ways to make it. I've been experimenting for years and have landed on my favorite original recipe . . . all from scratch! I make homemade egg noodles (of course . . . the Chickie-Babes provide the eggs, so why wouldn't I!?). I make homemade pasta sauce (this year using heirloom veggies and herbs that I grew from seed in my Kitchen Garden). And I make homemade meatballs.  Yes, I put meatballs in my lasagna!  I like the texture of them better than browned ground meat.  

Meatballs with Fresh Herbs

It's no secret that I love pasta and all that goes with it . . . the sauces, the vegetables, the meats, and the herbs!  A big favorite at our house is the meatballs.  I like to make them with fresh herbs so much better than dried herbs.  So, in the summer while the garden is producing, I make up batches of meatballs and put them in the freezer.  Then in the winter, we can still have meatballs with fresh herbs! Of course, you can make this recipe with dried herbs, but it's just not quite the same.

Canning Spaghetti Sauce

I love homemade spaghetti sauce made with fresh vegetables and herbs from my garden.  I really believe using fresh herbs makes a big difference in the sauce compared to using dried or frozen herbs. I  like to can some of this goodness at the end of summer, and then we can enjoy it during the winter months too. I use my own spaghetti sauce recipe, taking a short-cut on the tomato sauce. I've made my own tomato sauce before; it is very time consuming for a small yield, so I buy the canned tomato sauce and add my fresh ingredients to it.