From the Kitchens of Bunny and Brandy: Bacon Cheeseburger Lasagna with Red Gold Tomatoes and GIVEAWAY!

As loyal readers of this blog will know, Brandy loves coming up with recipes in honor of the Super Bowl.  The last few years, she's designed recipes for both teams participating, but since she's already come up with goodies for both the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, this year she decided to come up with an overall crowd pleaser.

Having developed two previous lasagnas last year with Red Gold Tomatoes, Brandy again used one of their party packs, which this year consisted of 1 large can of crushed tomatoes, two cans of tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, a box of noodles, a Red Gold can carrier, a sturdy apron from Laura's Lean Beef, and a coupon for $10 off any Laura's Lean Beef product.

And because Brandy believes in sharing the wealth, she is giving away an identical Red Gold lasagna party pack to one of our lovely readers!  To enter, simple tell us what your favorite Super Bowl snack is in the comment section below, on our Facebook page, our Instagram, or our Twitter.  A winner will be chosen at random and announced on Tuesday February 3rd.

Not content to make a simple meat lasagna, Brandy went all out and combined the aforementioned pasta dish with another classic American favorite, namely the bacon cheeseburger.  This lasagna is so full of cheesey and baconey goodness that it's sure to be a hit with even the most diverse Super Bowl crowd (unless it's a crowd of vegetarians... in which case, probably don't make this).  If you do try out Brandy's recipe, be sure to let us know what you thought!

The writers of this blog were provided with products from Red Gold Tomatoes to facilitate the writing of this post as well as the give away.

Bacon Cheeseburger Lasagna

For the sauce:
1 can of Red Gold Crushed tomatoes
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of shredded white cheddar cheese

For the lasagna:
2 cans of Red Gold Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano
1 box of lasagna noodles (pre-cooked according to package instructions)
1 lb of lean ground beef
6 strips of thick cut bacon
1 1/2 cups of whole milk ricotta cheese
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 lb of mushrooms, sliced
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

Spread the bacon slices out on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until the bacon is crisp.  Crumble bacon into large chunks and set aside.

Empty the crushed tomatoes into a medium sauce pot and cook on medium for 5 minutes.  Add in the cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese is fully melted and combined.  Turn the heat down to low and add in the cream.  Let the sauce simmer on low for 10 minutes, salt to taste, then take off the heat.

Brown the beef in a skillet and drain if necessary, then set aside.  Add the onions to the skillet and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes, then add salt to taste and the mushrooms and turn heat up to medium, cooking for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat.

In a 9x11 baking dish, lay down one of the cans of garlic and herb tomatoes (this will prevent the noodles from sticking or burning to the bottom of the pan).  Lay down your first layer of noodles, then add 1/3 of the tomato cheddar cream sauce, half of the ricotta, 1/3 of the mozzarella, and half of the bacon.  Lay down a second layer of noodles, then 1/3 of the sauce, all of the beef, and then the onions and mushrooms.  Lay down a third layer of noodles and repeat the ricotta,bacon, sauce, and mozzarella layer.  Top with one final layer of noodles, the second can of garlic and herb tomatoes, and the last of the mozzarella.  Bake in the over at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden brown.  Remove, let cool, and serve immediately.

From the Kitchens of Bunny and Brandy: Super Bowl Lasagna Battle

As is the tradition here at Bunny and Brandy's Brunchtime Blog, Brandy has decided cook up something special for this year's Super Bowl which would please fans of either team, whether its the Denver Broncos (Brandy refers to them as the "Colorado Ponies") or the Seattle Seahawks (or as Brandy prefers, the "Northwestern Kestrels").  Luckily, the fine people at Red Gold Tomatoes have come up with a brilliant idea for stirring up culinary creativity in their All in One Lasagna Kit, which comes complete with a box of noodles, the ingredients for the perfect tomato sauce, an easy to follow recipe, and a shiny new metal spatula.  The idea behind the kit is to allow anyone, from beginner home cook to tired professional chef after work, to make a hearty, flavorful, and satisfying lasagna quickly and easily which can be elevated by adding personal little touches to the basic recipe.  It was upon this canvas that Brandy chose to paint a little by creating two unique lasagnas themed on the cities fighting for the crown of Super Bowl Champion.  Make sure to check out Red Gold's Facebook page as well as their website for an ever growing database of even more exciting lasagna ideas!

The Denver Lasagna
This recipe combines Red Gold's basic All-In-One Lasagna Recipe with the classic flavors of a Denver Omelette to create a colorful new twist on the traditional dish.

1/2 cup water
1 can (28 ounce) Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes (provided in the kit)
2 cans (14.5 ounce) Red Gold Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano (provided in the kit)
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1 (16 ounce) box of traditional lasagna noodles (provided in the kit)
1 (15 ounce) carton of low fat ricotta cheese
3 1/2 cups shredded Italian cheeses (Brandy used a combination of mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, provolone, and asiago)
1 pound Pancetta, cubed
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced

Heat a skillet to medium heat and add the pancetta.  Saute until the pancetta begins to crisp, then add onions and peppers.  Cook together until the onions are translucent, then set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine water, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt to taste.  Cover the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking pan with 1 1/2 cups of sauce mixture.  Arrange 1/3 of the dry noodles on top of sauce, slightly overlapped.  Top with 1/2 of ricotta cheese, then 1/2 of pancetta mixture,1 cup of shredded cheese, and 1 cup of sauce.  Repeat layers, then top with last 1/3 of noodles and the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Cover tightly with tin foil and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the noodles are cooked.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

The Seattle Lasagna
This recipe combines Red Gold's basic All-In-One Lasagna Recipe with the classic flavor of Shrimp Scampi, celebrating the abundance of fresh seafood available in the Northwestern United States.

1/2 cup water
1 can (28 ounce) Red Gold Crushed Tomatoes (provided in the kit)
2 cans (14.5 ounce) Red Gold Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic, and Oregano (provided in the kit)
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1 (16 ounce) box of traditional lasagna noodles (provided in the kit)
1 (15 ounce) carton of low fat ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp
4 tablespoons of butter
1/2 a head of garlic, cut into slivers

Heat a medium skillet to medium heat and add the butter.  Once butter is melted, add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes on low heat.  Add shrimp and sear on each side for about a minute, adding salt to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine water, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and salt to taste.  Cover the bottom of a 9x13x2 inch baking pan with 1 1/2 cups of sauce mixture.  Arrange 1/3 of the dry noodles on top of sauce, slightly overlapped.  Top with 1/2 of ricotta cheese, then 1/2 of the shrimp and garlic slices,1/2 cup of shredded cheese, and 1 cup of sauce.  Repeat layers, then top with last 1/3 of noodles and the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Cover tightly with tin foil and bake 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the noodles are cooked.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.