5-Way Lasagna...donin' it Cincinnati style

When folks from Cincinnati suggest a 3-way (or 4-way or 5-way), don't be alarmed.  They're not talking sex (well at least I don't think they are, wink!), they're talking chili.  Cincinnati is famous for their sweet, spicy chili that's usually served over spaghetti (2-way), with cheese (3-way), with spaghetti, cheese, and onions (4-way), and with spaghetti, cheese, onions, and beans (5-way) .  It tastes nothing like the Tex-Mex chili we're all accustomed to, but it sure is delicious!

Here is a recipe based on Cincinnati chili for lasagna that came from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette at least 5 years ago.  I love it because it's easy and portable.  Hope you give it a try!

5-Way Lasagna

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion (1 cup chopped)
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 (8 oz) cans no salt added tomato sauce
1 Tbsp bottled minced garlic
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
ground red pepper (cayenne) to taste
salt to taste
8 no-cook lasagna noodles (1/2 box)
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  In large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat oil on medium high just until hot.  Crumble ground beef into skillet.  Peel and coarsely chop onion, adding it to skillet as you chop.  Cook, stirring frequently, until ground beef is finely crumbled and completely browned, about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium.

Meanwhile, rinse and drain kidney beans, and set aside. Note: Beans are layered into lasagna when assembling it, not stirred into the sauce.

To the browned ground beef mixture, add tomato sauce, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves.  Stir to mix well.  Adjust to taste with ground red pepper and salt.  Reduce hat to simmer, and cook, stirring form time to time, until ready to assemble lasagna.

To assemble lasagna
Coat an 8x8 glass casserole dish with Pam.  Spread about 1 cup of meat sauce in bottom of dish.  Top with 2 lasagna noodles, 1 cup meat sauce, 1/3 of beans, and 1/4 cup cheese.  Repeat this layer twice.  Top with remaining 2 lasagna noodles, remaining meat sauce, and cheese.

Coat a piece of foil with Pam and cover lasagna tightly.  Bake at 375 for 50 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese bubbles.  Remove from heat at rest 10 minutes before serving.