Jake’s Lasagna
Ingredients
-
1 pound sweet Italian
sausage
-
1 pound lean ground beef
-
3/4 cup minced onion
-
3/4 cup finely chopped
mushrooms
-
4 cloves garlic, crushed
-
1 (28 ounce) can crushed
tomatoes
-
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato
paste
-
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned
tomato sauce
-
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
-
5 tablespoons chopped fresh
parsley
-
12 lasagna noodles
-
24 ounces ricotta cheese
-
1 egg
-
1/2 teaspoon salt
-
3/4 pound mozzarella
cheese, sliced
-
1 cup grated Parmesan
cheese
Directions
1.
In a Dutch oven,
cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well
browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste,
and
tomato sauce. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1
tablespoon salt, pepper, and 3 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1
1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2.
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.
3.
Preheat oven to
375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4.
To assemble,
spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Arrange 6 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 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese.
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.
5.
Bake in preheated
oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15
minutes before serving.
