Paula Deen's Lasagna

Make the sauce: In a stockpot, combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, onions, peppers, garlic, parsley, Italian seasoning, House Seasoning, seasoning salt, sugar, and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

While the sauce simmers, crumble the ground beef in a saucepan and cook until no pink remains. Drain off the fat.

Add the cooked ground beef to the stockpot and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

If sauce is too thin, thicken by mixing 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Bring sauce back to a boil and stir in cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly.

Remove bay leaves from sauce.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To assemble: Place a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13x2-inch pan.

Layer 1/3 of each: noodles, cottage cheese mixture, Gruyere, Swiss, and cheddar cheeses.

Pinch off small pieces of cream cheese and dot over other cheeses.

Add another layer of sauce.

Repeat layering 2-3 times, ending with sauce.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, top with mozzarella, and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes.