Hawaiian Lasagna

I wanted to do something a little different. We love Hawaiian Pizza so I decided to do a little twist on that!






3 cups pizza sauce (homemade* or jarred, your choice)
1 cup ricotta cheese(or cottage cheese)
1 egg
2 TB pineapple juice
1/2 TB sugar
8 oz thinly sliced ham or canadian bacon
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella(or a smoked provolone/mozz blend)
1-20 oz can crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved**
9-12 Lasagna Noodles(depending on your pan size you may need 3-4 per layer)***
Other Hawaiian toppings as you see fit:
Roasted Red Peppers
Green Peppers
Bacon
Make it fiery with jalapenos

In a food processor or blender combine ricotta, egg, pineapple juice and sugar. Process until smooth, set aside










Place 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish
Layer 3-4 noodles across.











Spread 1/2 the ricotta, 1/2 the ham, 1/2 the pineapple (1/2 and other toppings you are using, I used roasted red peppers just on 1 layer) 1 cup of the cheese and 3/4 cup sauce.










Add another layer of noodles and repeat layering process.











Add last layer of pasta and top with remaining sauce and cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil sprayed lightly with cooking spray.








Bake for 45 minutes, uncover and cook 15 minutes more until internal temp is a minimum of 165

Remove from oven and replace foil loosely, allow to set for 15 minutes.

*Perfect amount homemade pizza sauce:
1-15 ounce can tomato sauce
1-6 oz can tomato paste
6 ounces water
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 Tbsp sugar
Combine all and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minuets. Cool and use.

** I REALLY wanted to go with fresh pineapple, I think it would make this SO much better but the ones at the grocery store were WAY too much money and I didnt want to drag my kids out to the local produce stand. Next time I will go fresh for sure, about 2 cups diced is what you need.

*** You do NOT need to cook dry noodles first, even if they arent "no-boil", just dip them in hot water before layering and pour about 1/3 cup water around the edges, then repeat about 1/2 way through cooking if it looks dry at the edges.