Worlds Best Lasagna
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
2 6.5-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over
medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste,
tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian
seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons 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. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, then layer 3 more noodles. Repeat layers, and top with remaining 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.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
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. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, then layer 3 more noodles. Repeat layers, and top with remaining 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.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
This is one of John's favorite dishes, so thx very much for the recipe. Hope you have a nice day.
ReplyDeleteYum! Looks great! Have you ever used those pre cooked noodles? I was totally impressed...saves a ton of time.
ReplyDeleteOh my, Mari, this looks and sounds SO good. I am going to give it a try the next time I decide to make lasagna. I'm off to copy it down! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteSounds yummy...My favorite lasagna includes ricotta cheese and I think it makes all the difference.
ReplyDeleteI love good lasagna like this - but you're right that it needs to be done on a night you can budget the time a bit for it. So worth it though!! ;)
ReplyDeleteBlessings Hon. xoxo
Yum, wish I had that cooking for dinner tonight!
ReplyDeleteSounds (and looks) absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis recipe looks really good! I think I will try it.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly looks very delicious!!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try this one, it's making my mouth water.
ReplyDeleteLooks so good! I've only made lasagna one time and no one asked for it again.
ReplyDeleteLol
I was just looking for a lasagna recipe, thank you so much for this! I'll definitely be writing it down--looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I saw your recipe at Dianna's so here I am to give it a try. It looks wonderful. Can't wait!
ReplyDelete