Dogs, much like their human parents, often love pasta and noodle dishes. When the days heat up but the evenings and nights remain a bit cooler, few foods can fill the belly like a plate of lasagna. Dr Carol offers this lasagna recipe for dogs that is as nutritious as it is delicious. Don’t forget to freeze the left-overs so that you can serve your pet a tasty dinner even on hectic nights when you don’t have time to cook for yourself!
BBeef and Vegetable Lasagna (for Dogs)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground round beef
5 cups tomato sauce
4 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
3½ cups ricotta cheese
1 cup chopped cooked spinach,drained
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried oregano
¾ tsp ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 lasagna noodles, cooked until not
quite tender
3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Crumble ground beef into the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until the meat is browned. Drain and set aside.
3. Pour the tomato sauce in a sauce pan. Add the beef and 2 tbsp parsley, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, spinach, parmesan, oregano, nutmeg, pepper and remaining 2 tbsp of parsley; stir well.
5. Place 2 cups of the tomato sauce mixture in the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Spread half of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna and sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers of sauce, noodles, ricotta and mozzarella. Top with the remaining 2 cups of sauce and 1 cup mozzarella, sprinkled evenly over last layer.
6. Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil, place it on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and allow it to stand 10 to 15 minutes or until it reaches room temperature before serving.
Note: For individual frozen portions, cut the baked lasagna into 8 pieces, placed in freezer containers with lids. Freeze only when cool. To reheat, defrost, cover with aluminum foil to bake at 350° F for 20 minutes.
