Traditional Lasagna

Wow. I never ate a lot of lasagna growing up, but with my love of Italian foods I had to take it on in my kitchen. I was shocked how good this recipe was. There is definitely truth behind people saying it is even better the next day. I like to assemble this and let it sit in my fridge overnight, then bake it in time for dinner. It allows its flavors to mingle and makes it "day two brilliant" the first time! There are non-onion-lovers in my family, so I use dried onion instead of raw chopped onion and there is never an onion issue. 1/3 cup fresh chopped onion = 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes.

1 lb ground Sweet Italian Sausage
3/4 lb Ground Beef
1/2 cup Onion, minced
2-3 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 (28oz) can Crushed Tomatoes
2 (6oz) cans Tomato Paste
2 (6.5) cans Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Basil Leaves
1/2 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 Tablespoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
4 Tablespoons fresh Parsley, chopped
12 Lasagna Noodles
16 oz Ricotta Cheese
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Salt
3/4 lb Mozzarella cheese slices
3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is browned and cooked through. 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 for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Instead of cooking noodles, soak in very hot water for 30 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine Ricotta cheese with egg, 2 Tablespoon parsley, ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a 9x13 inch baking dish, spread 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce in the bottom, evenly. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread 1/2 of Ricotta mixture over noodles. Top with 1/3 of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
Cover with foil that has been sprayed to prevent sticking and try not to let the foil touch the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.




When I have extra meat sauce I didn't put into my lasagna, I boil some macaroni noodles and mix with the sauce to make some YUMMY Beefaroni!