It takes work, but this delicious Lasagna is worth it!
Active Time
45m
Inactive Time
1h 30m
Total
2h 30m
Ingredients
Sauce:
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
9 lasagna noodles (optional: 10 noodles)
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
Make the sauce:
In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned.
Stir in tomato products and water. Season with remaining sauce ingredients.
Add 1 tablespoon parsley.
Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. If not ready to immediately assemble, place noodles in pot of cold water.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
To assemble:
Divide the ricotta mixture in half, the meat sauce into thirds, and the mozzarella cheese into quarters.
Spread half of one third of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Arrange 3 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce.
If using the optional 10th noodle, cut sections of it to fill gaps at the end of the pan
Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture.
Top with a quarter of the mozzarella cheese.
Spoon a third of the meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
Repeat layers, and top with remaining meat sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil. To prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.