Bow-tie Lasagna

Lately the weather has just had a "fallish" feel to it... it seems the minute the calendar turns to August and they get school supplies back in the stores, fall is just in the air. I came home from work craving something with pasta and cheese in it, and all I had thawed out was hamburger. So I began to browse my favorite food blogs and of course! I found just what I was looking for on the Pioneer Woman's blog.... but I tweaked it just a bit... I will post what my recipe ended up being  here but if you want to see the original recipe go to this link http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/ then type in bow tie lasagna in the search. This is just what I was hungry for and was easy and pretty quick to make. I served mine with sauteed zucchini and Sizzler toast!(see earlier posts) yum!! When I think of Fall I think of Casseroles, and comfort food and this was just what I needed (except the for second helping I ate... not sure if I needed that!) but it was YUMMO!

Bow-tie Lasagna

4 cups uncooked Bow-Tie Pasta
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic, (or 1 large garlic clove, minced.. I used the already minced in a jar)
1 jar Newman's Own 'Sock-a-rooni' Spaghetti Sauce (or your favorite jarred/canned Marinara Sauce you need about 3 cups)
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (or more to suit your taste... or you can use fresh basil leaves, fresh thyme, and rosemary like I did if you have it)
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2  teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional.. I like a slight spicy kick to my lasagna)
½  (15-oz) carton ricotta Cheese (**see note below)
½ cups Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
Preparation Instructions:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, brown ground beef in a large, deep skillet along with the diced onion and garlic.

When browned, drain excess fat from the beef and add your spaghetti sauce
and seasonings and let simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes so the seasonings can disperse into the sauce. Then stir in your ricotta and mozzarella cheese, stirring to combine.
Drain your pasta and add to the sauce mixture. Toss to coat the pasta and let cook about 3 to 5 minutes more so the cheese can melt. Top with the Parmesan Cheese and Serve! Yummo!

**I always use Ricotta cheese in my lasagna so I used it in this as well so it tasted more like my lasagna. The Pioneer Woman used 1/2 cup Sour Cream instead, use what suits your taste.