Lasagna Pie: Easy and Elegant

I love lasagna, but it seems so much trouble to make and a mess to serve.  Here is a recipe for lasagna pie that is easy to serve and so elegant.  It's a bit of trouble, but once you have the main ingredients prepared, it's just a matter of assembly.

                                  Easy Lasagna Pie

1/4 c. chopped onion
1 T. chopped garlic
1 lb ground beef
Salt and pepper

In a pan with a little olive oil, mix the above ingredients until the meat is brown and crumbly.  Drain fat.  Add 1 can tomato sauce, one can tomato paste and mix into the meat mixture.  This is the meat sauce for your pie.  Add a little water if it's too thick.

1 large container ricotta cheese
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 egg
salt and pepper

Mix above ingredients well and set aside.

In the meantime, cook a package  of lasagna noodles to al dente, and set aside on a platter to cool.

Assembly:  Take a large round bowl or pyrex round casserole and lay the lasagna noodles around the bowl, with about 2 inches hanging out over the top.  Sprinkle parmesean cheese on the bottom of the bowl, then add a layer of meat sauce.  Next,  cover with noodles, cut to fit in the casserole, single layer.  Then, add the cheese mixture, another layer of noodles, parmesean cheese and meat sauce.  Fold the noodles toward the middle of the bowl so that all you see is noodles.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Invert on a platter.  Cover with the following white sauce:

1/2 cup milk
3 T melted butter
2T flour
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
salt and pepper

Melt butter, add flour to make a roux, then add milk to make a creamy sauce.   Finally add the
 cheese and salt and pepper.  Pour over the top of the lasagna pie before serving.

Cut the lasagna like a pie.  It is easy to cut, and so delicious.  A twist on everyone's favorite, lasagna that is elegant and delicious.