Well, Spring Break arrived and before we knew it, it was gone. Some of us have a sunburn, some of us wish we had a sunburn but many of us (regardless if we went to paradise or some other getaway) are now assed out broke. Yep, vacations are great until you get back and realize your fridge is empty except for some spoiled milk. But before you reach for that two year-old Ramen in your cupboard, let me give you a delicious alternative: lasagna.

Lasagna is great because it lasts all week and it gets better each time you warm it up. It’s also really easy to make, it just takes time and a little imagination. Here are two simple recipes for a meat lasagna and a spinach lasagna. Enjoy!

* Spinach Lasagna

26 oz. jar marinara sauce*

1 cup water or vegetable broth

16 uncooked lasagna noodles

15 oz. carton ricotta cheese* (about 2 cups)

3 tsp. dried basil

black pepper (to taste)

Two 10 oz. pkgs. frozen leaf spinach, thawed, squeezed dry (about 4 cups)

12 oz. pkg. grated mozzarella cheese*

* you can opt for nonfat with any of these ingredients

Preheat to 375 degrees. Grease or lightly spray a 9x14x2 deep baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix sauce with the water or veggie broth. Spoon just enough sauce into the baking dish so that it covers the entire bottom (tilt the sides when doing so for best coverage).

Using a spatula, spread four uncooked lasagna noodles lengthwise, side by side, and see that the ends are placed evenly in the center of the dish. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta, sprinkle 1 tsp. basil and black pepper (as much or as little as you prefer).

Separate and loosen the thawed spinach with a fork. Top the ricotta with about 1/3 of the spinach and top the spinach with 1/4 of the marinara sauce. Then put about 1/4 of the grated mozzarella on the sauce.

Repeat two more layers of the noodle-ricotta, spinach, sauce, and mozzarella. End the assembly with a layer of noodles, the remainder of the sauce (spread completely to the edge of the baking dish), and the rest of the mozzarella.

Lightly spray or grease a 16 inch length of aluminum foil and cover the baking dish with it. Crimp the edges so that the dish is sealed.

Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and baste the lasagna with the sauce from the ends of the pan (you can use a spoon or a baster). Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes (depending on how crispy you like it).

Let stand for about 15 minutes so that it’s not all goopy and viola! You got a yummy dish that offers around 10 servings.

Cheesy Beef (or turkey) and Herb Lasagna

2 BIG white onions, or red, whatever you got

1 large can of whole crushed tomatoes

Fresh basil and oregano

1 big carton of ricotta

Muenster cheese

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 eggs

pepper and salt to taste

any pasta sauce you want

about 1 lb. ground beef or turkey

2 1/2 boxes of uncooked lasagna noodles (better to be safe than sorry)

Just a warning this recipe is being taken out of my head so the measurements aren’t exact. Just keep an eye out for the texture that you desire, amount, etc.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a pan cook up your ground meat with a chopped onion. Add the entire can of tomatoes. Turn off heat and add enough ricotta so that the mixture isn’t too runny. Put the mixture aside.

Chop up the basil and oregano (if you can’t afford the fresh kind, go for at least one fresh herb and one dry).

In a medium bowl combine 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1 egg, the rest of the ricotta, and the basil/oregano. Season with salt and pepper.

In a baking dish (9x14x2 or whatever you have, its okay to have leftovers) lay down some pasta sauce, enough to amply cover the bottom. Apply a layer of uncooked noodles, side by side, evenly so that the entire area of the baking dish is covered. Place a layer of thinly sliced onion over the noodles, then a layer of the ricotta-herb-bread crumb mixture. Over the white mixture, sprinkle Muenster cheese (add as much as you like depending on how cheesy you want it). Add another layer of noodles, sliced onions. Top with meat mix. Add more noodles, sliced onions. Keep going with this procedure until you run out of room. Remember to leave space at the top so that you can cover it with foil without getting the foil stuck to the food. For the top, adorn the noodles with marinara sauce, sliced onions, and Muenster cheese to make it pretty.

Cover with foil, securing the sides.

Bake for about an hour. Remove the foil and then bake for an additional 15 minutes- half hour (until its as brown as you desire).

This dish serves about 10 people-an army.