Celebrating Mom with Homestyle Lasagna - Featuring Ragu Pasta Sauce

Usually my mom is the one that always cooks for special occasions.  She is a wonderful cook and loves doing it, but this year on Mother's Day, she was recovering from knee surgery and could not get around very well.  I decided I would cook a meal for her this time!

Me and my mom

She requested lasagna, which I am pretty good at making (though it is never as good as hers!)  She makes homemade lasagna, complete with homemade sauce made with tomatoes from her garden. I am not that ambitious, so I use Ragu Homestyle Thick and Hearty Traditional sauce to give my lasagna that "homestyle" flavor. The new Homestyle line is the thickest sauce with the boldest flavors, because Ragu does not use artificial flavoring or colors.

I count on Ragu pasta sauce to make my semi-homemade meals delicious.  My mother and grandmother always served home-cooked meals full of flavor and fresh ingredients from the garden. My childhood is filled with memories of spending special occasions at my grandmother's farm and having veggies from the garden and fresh milk from their cows.

Growing up, my parents always had a large garden and we spent our summers helping plant, pick, and prepare the fresh veggies (anyone need to know how to string beans??)  Even though I do not have a garden, I still try to make it a point to carry on my family's tradition and make healthy home-cooked meals for my family most nights of the week.  I am glad I can carry on my mom and grandmother's traditions by using Ragu pasta sauce in their recipes.

Making homemade lasagna may seem like a daunting task, but once you get everything going, it comes together pretty quickly.  You do not even have to make your own sauce, when you have five bold flavors to choose from in Ragu's new Homestyle line!

While your noodles and meat are cooking, you can mix up the cheeses and egg.

Once everything is cooked, you are ready to assemble the lasagna.  If you want to save time, you can assemble it the night before your event and keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours.  Make sure you let the glass dish sit out for a few minutes, allowing it to come to room temperature before putting it in the oven.

Add a salad and a loaf of garlic bread, and you have a hearty family meal in a little over an hour!

Visit Ragu's website and let me know your favorite recipe or what flavor you want to try! Comment with your answer below to enter to WIN a $25 Gift card for a night out on Ragu, when you need a break from cooking!

Contest rules:  Prize is a $25 gift card that can be used at the following: Chilis, Macaroni Grill, Maggianos, or On the Border.  Must live in the United States.  Contest ends at 11:59 pm EST on 5/28/16.  I will chose a winner at random from the comments below.