lasagna with herbs

At home, lasagna is such a great favorite that every time I make it, it's going to make a feast. My husband likes every version I make, and wants me to keep a record of the varieties.

Recipe: Lasagna

Ingredients:
- 6-9 pieces of lasagna noodles
- 1/2 cup fat-free cottage cheese
- about 3 oz of skim-milk mozzarella cheese, sliced very thinly
- 1 TB shredded asiago cheese
- 12 oz very lean ground beef
- 3/4 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup tender celery stalk with leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup red pepper, finely chopped
- 1 medium ripe tomato, sliced
- 3/4 can unsalted diced tomatoes, with juice
- 2 TB unsalted tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tp oregano flakes
- 2 TB mix of italian herbs (basil, marjoram, rosemary, thyme) in flakes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tp salt
- 1/2 tp sugar
- dash of parsley (garnish)

Procedure:
1. Cook lean beef with garlic powder until the meat has changed color.
2. Add all the herbs, sugar, salt and red wine. Allow to mix and cook for a minute. Then add all the vegetables. Add in the canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
3. When the beef mixture is almost done, add in the tomato paste and mix well. Turn heat off.
4. In a large pot, boil water to cook the lasagna noodles until soft.
5. In a baking pan, cover the bottom with a layer of beef mixture. Mix in 2 TB of cottage cheese and some fresh tomato pieces. Then add a layer of lasagna noodle. Sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese and asiago cheese on top of the noodles. Repeat the layering until in total there are 3 layers of noodles interlaced with 3 layers of beef, tomatoes and cheese. Try to use up all the cottage cheese while making the 3 layers of beef and cheese. Add any remaining beef mixture or tomatoes on top. Cover with any remaining mozzarella or asiago cheeses.
6. Cover with foil. Bake at 375F for 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle parsley flakes on top and serve hot.

1. In this experiment, I keep the lasagna moist by cooking the noodles not just until they are soft, but actually until they have absorbed the water and expanded. If the noodles are cooked to just soft, 2+2/3 pieces of noodle would be enough to cover one layer. But when they have fully absorbed water, 2 pieces are more than enough to make one layer. This way, they won't absorb moisture from the lasagna when baked.
2. I also cook the lasagna for just 30 minutes and serve it right away. If I leave it in the oven for a long time, the lasagna becomes drier, and hold the layers better. 
3. I do not know if it's because I use fat-free cheeses or because I make my own spaghetti sauce, the fillings in the lasagna tend to be somewhat lumpy without holding much water, instead of forming a thick paste.