Cheesy Meatball Lasagna

I love Delight Magazine, and although it is a bit pricey, it is really a good resource, especially for those who have multiple allergies. They have an index grid in the front which shows the allergens for each recipe. It also includes a "Safe/Unsafe" list in each one, which is a nice convenience even for those of us who have been gluten free for awhile.  If you are unable to subscribe, I recommend checking out their website: http://www.delightglutenfree.com/, where you can find recipes like the one below as well as hundreds of others (all of which can be sorted by allergen to find the ones that work best for your family).

Cheesy Meatball Lasagna

(Adapted from: Delight Magazine Mar-Apr '14)
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1-10oz package Tinkyada brown rice lasagna noodles

1/4 cup bread crumbs*

1 lb ground turkey (or beef /chicken)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp parsley flakes

1/8 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1 egg, beaten

3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1-24oz marinara sauce        

4 cups fiesta blend cheese*

1. In large pot, cook lasagna noodles according to package. Drain, and arrange on large plate or platter to prevent noodles from breaking and/or sticking together.  Set aside.
2. Place ground meat into large bowl; add in bread crumbs, seasoning and egg.  Mix well with hands to combine thoroughly.
3. Use tbsp of meat mixture to round into spheres. Place on plate until all meatballs are made.
4. In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and slowly add in meatballs. Saute until sealed and browned (approx. 2 minutes on each side). 
5. While meatballs are sauteing, use pot from noodles to heat 2 cups of marinara sauce.  Once meatballs are browned, add to sauce.  Cook covered for 15 minutes*.
6. Preheat oven to 350F. Spoon meatballs out of sauce and place onto plate, then cut each one in half.
7. Lightly grease, 8" square pan with non-stick spray
8. Line bottom of casserole with lasagna noodles (cutting slightly as needed to fit).  Top with layer of sauce, then sliced meatballs (approx. 3 halved) and 1 cup of cheese.  Repeat layers as necessary until top of pan is reached
9. Bake 40-50 minutes* until cheese is bubbly and golden.  Serve while hot.

*Notes:

• Bread Crumbs: original recipe called for one slice of gluten free bread to be toasted then placed into food processor.  I like to use what I have on hand, so I substituted GF bread crumbs.  I have also seen recipes use mashed potato flakes as "thicker" for meatballs.  
• Cheese: I couldn't find fiesta blend cheese, so I used a 4 cheese Mexican blend.
• Meatballs: original recipe called for  meatballs to be cooked in sauce for 20-30 minutes.  However, since meatballs are cooked, sauce heated and I am impatient - I shortened it.  Seemed to work fine.
• Bake Time: original recipe called for 50 minutes.  However, mine only took about 35 minutes

Side note: since one of the reasons I don't cook much is the cleaning involved.  This recipe originally called for multiple pots, pans and other dishes so I simplified.  

Also, I had a good number of lasagna noodles left over.  I hate throwing stuff away, so saved for another day.  Aside from adjusting recipe to create more, not sure what else to do with it.  Any one have ideas?