Sun Dried Tomato Lasagna

If there is one thing I should be ashamed to say I love, it's a basic cheese lasagna smothered in generic tomato sauce and a gooey cheese that is probably not mozzarella, and all in all, a true chef wouldn't put near his mouth. What can I say, I'm American. Sometimes cheap is good. But most of the time I love a good, heart filled, love infused lasagna, with ingredients I can stare at all day long. I'm talking about sun absorbed, rich red, wrinkled dried tomatoes. I'm thinking about fresh minty earthy aromatic basil. And I'm dreaming of creamy, salty, crumbly goat cheese. All of this is of course layered in universally pleasing al dente lasagna. This gives you a break from- no, a vacation from your stringy soupy boring old lasagna. The fresh flavors of all the ingredients are so pleasing, you will literally smile as you eat. So the next time you decide that lasagna is on the menu for dinner, your family will say "Oh, lasagna" with a smile. But when they take a bite, their reply will be "Oh! Lasagna!"

Sun Dried Tomato Lasagna

1 box of dried lasagna

2 jars of sun dried tomatoes in oil

1 cup (about 1 bunch) fresh basil, chopped

1 head of garlic, minced

1 cup crumbled goat cheese

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Pre-heat oven to 375.

In a pot of salted boiling water, add lasagna and stir often so that the sheets won't stick. Cook according to box instructions. Drain pasta. Set aside.

In a bowl combine coarsely chopped sun dried tomatoes along with a little extra oil from the jar, garlic and basil. Season with salt and pepper. In a baking dish, drizzle some olive oil and begin layering the lasagna. Place strips all in one direction evenly covering the bottom. Spread some of the sun dried tomato mixture on the bottom. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese. Place another layer of lasagna sheets in the opposite direction. Spread tomatoes and sprinkle goat cheese. Repeat, ending with the tomato mixture. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top is sizzling.