Rice Lasagna

This is one of those things we would have all the time when I was growing up. And like most of those dishes, we've changed it around a bit to fit what we've had in the fridge at the time. Also, like many of the dishes I grew up with, this is more of a formula than an actual recipe. And the cool thing is that tonight we made this almost entirely out of leftovers we had in the fridge already!

We served this tonight with bread sticks: pizza dough sprinkled with shredded mozzarella, Italian seasoning, Parmesan, and garlic.

Rice Lasagna - How I grew up with it

Stir egg into cooked rice (this helps it hold its shape).

Mix cottage cheese, shredded mozzarella, and Parmesan.

Mix spaghetti sauce, ground beef, canned drained spinach, etc.

Divide mixtures in half and layer in a pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

Ingredient amounts, pan size, and cooking time vary according to how much lasagna you want.

Rice Lasagna - How we did it tonight
Layer (in whatever order, but put mozzarella on top):
Rice (no egg, there wasn't enough rice to make the egg worth it)
Spaghetti sauce
Seasoned ground beef (Italian seasoning, garlic, etc.)
Canned drained spinach
Ricotta Cheese
Shredded mozzarella with Parmesan and seasonings

Same baking directions as the other one.

Like I said - it's just a formula. But we sure like it!
As a side note, though it was good with ricotta, I definitely prefer it with cottage cheese. It's what I grew up with, and it doesn't have that funny grainy texture.