Prof. Kitty's Lasagna

Success! I invented this lasagna last weekend because I had a partial box of noodles left over from a try at making slow-cooker lasagna (assessment--noodles get really mushy in a slow cooker, but not bad). My fellow diner liked this so much he asked me to please write down the recipe for future reference. Some of the amounts and ingredients are a little peculiar because that's just what I had in the house at the time. Next time I might use different amounts (a WHOLE onion, for example) and ingredients (would kale or spinach be more bitter or more... better than the beet greens? The beet greens were really good, maybe they're the secret ingredient).

(It kind of exploded in this photo, but I had to move fast
or there would have been nothing to photograph!)

Here's what I did, for the record.

Ingredients
10 lasagna noodles, cooked*
1 jar of Four Cheese tomato pasta sauce (I used Muir Glen)
1/2 jar of Garden Vegetable tomato pasta sauce (Muir Glen again)
1/2 container of ricotta cheese (aka 1 cup)
1 container of cottage cheese (aka 2 cups)
1 egg
ground pepper
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
basil
oregano
2 cups (or more) part skim mozzarella, grated
beet greens (I used the greens from 3 golden beets)
olive oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup (or more) grated parmesan cheese

Assembly

• Beat egg. Mix in ricotta & cottage cheese and lots of black pepper. Set aside.
• Sauté beef and onion and garlic in a little olive oil until beef is cooked through. Add oregano and basil to taste. Set aside.
• Cut beet greens into thin strips and fry in a little olive oil. When they start to sizzle, add 1/4 cup water and cover for about 5 minutes. When wilted through, remove from heat and chop up. Set aside.
• Put a little sauce on the bottom of a large baking pan. Then put 3 lasagna noodles side by side. Sprinkle the cooked greens all around, then half the cooked meat mixture. Dot on half the ricotta mixture. Pour half the 4-cheese sauce over all and sprinkle on 1/3 the mozzarella. (I know, a lot of fractions--it'll all work out!)
• Start a new layer with 3 more noodles. Put the rest of the meat and the rest of the ricotta mixture on top. Then pour the half-jar of garden vegetable sauce over all and sprinkle on 1/3 the mozzarella.
• Start the top layer with the last 3 noodles. Cover with the other half jar of 4-cheese sauce. Sprinkle on the rest of the mozzarella. Top with generous sprinkle of parmesan.
• Put in the oven on a cookie sheet at 375˚ for at least half an hour, until it is bubbling vigorously and golden on top. Cool somewhat before serving.

*Recipe calls for 10 noodles, though only 9 are used, because something terrible always happens to one. Discard that one.