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Meat and Cheese Lasagna by Anhalie Farias
Story and Photos by Bianca Pardo

Anhalie Farias cooks with heart.

Farias, a junior and music education major at St. Mary’s University, has many ambitions.

She plays the violin and enjoys listening to music from her favorite composers-Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi.

Farias is a recent transfer student from Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

She enjoys attending St. Mary’s because she gets to spend time with her sister, Nathalie.

Farias also likes the atmosphere at St. Mary’s.

“Classes are smaller than other public schools, campus is quite, calm and relaxing,” she says.

Besides being a music education major, Farias plans to double major in Spanish with a minor in Portuguese.

One of her goals is to attend culinary school after college.

Farias hopes to open a restaurant in her hometown in Pharr, Texas.

If she could pick one meat when cooking, it would be chicken, she says.

“The perfect plate for me would be roasted lemon pepper chicken, with mashed potatoes, and poblano sauce spaghetti, she says.

She likes cooking Mexican and Chinese food and also enjoys baking. Her favorite pastry is a strawberry-filled roll with cream cheese frosting.

Farias enjoys cooking because it reminds her of being home and likes to cook for others after they have had a busy day.

It gives them time to rest.

Farias chose to make meat and cheese lasagna for her dish.

She says making lasagna reminds her of helping her mother prepare the dish for the family.

She takes pride and joy when making this dish for her sister and others.

She believes that the dish brings comfort to those who are far away from home and are not able to enjoy home made food.

She advises people that when making meat and cheese lasagna, not to over boil the pasta because it can break when spreading it in the pan or overcook once it is in the oven.

Meat and Cheese Lasagna ingredients

• 9 oz. Box of lasagna pasta
• 24 oz. can of Prego meat flavor spaghetti sauce
• 1 lb. of ground beef
• salt (as needed)
• pepper (as needed)
• half of an onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 lb of mozzarella and Monterey cheese
• 1 tsp of butter

Directions

Boil Pasta in a large boiling pan on a medium heat for about 10-12 minutes until the pasta is nearly completely cooked. Once it is done, drain water from it and set it aside.

In a medium saucepan, cook the ground beef and season it with salt and pepper as desired. While it is being cooked, add the two garlic cloves and half an onion.

In another medium saucepan lightly heat the sauce.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the sauce is heated and meat is cooked in a 13X9 baking pan, spread butter in the bottom of the pan so the pasta will not stick. After the butter has been spread, place the pasta next to each other in the pan. On top of the pasta, spread enough sauce, on top of the sauce add a layer of Monterey and mozzarella cheese then, on the top of the cheese, add the meat. Repeat the step until reaching the top of the pan, finishing it with as much cheese as desired.

Bake the lasagna for about 10 to15 minutes until the pasta has finished cooking and the cheese has been melted. Turn off the oven and let it settle for about five minutes. Remove from the oven and cut in 12 squares and serve. This makes 12 servings.

Filed under: Class Projects, Entrees, Recipes | Tagged: Anhalie Farias, Bianca Pardo, magazine launch, Meat and Cheese Lasagna, St. Mary's University, taste of stmu |