Lasagna

I love lasagna but rarely make it because it's a time consuming process.  If you search the internet, you are surely to find a recipe which states that their lasagna is the best lasagna ever made.  I definitely won't go that far, but this is a great tasting lasagna with simple ingredients.  It's very kid-friendly and can be made ahead of time and cooked on a busy week night.  Enjoy!

Printable recipe

Ingredients
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 lb. lean ground beef
½ cup onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 ½ tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. salt
½  tsp. black pepper
4 Tbsps. chopped fresh parsley (divided)
12 lasagna noodles
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg
½ tsp. salt
¾ lbs. mozzarella cheese, sliced
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic until meat is browned. Drain.  Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Add sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, 1 Tbsp. salt, pepper, 2 Tbsp. parsley and mix well. Simmer, covered, for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and ½ tsp. salt.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

To assemble lasagna, spread 1 ½ cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread ½ of the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles. Top with ⅓ of mozzarella cheese slices and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Spread 1 ½ cups meat sauce over mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Add remaining meat sauce, then top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.