Lasagna

 

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• 1 1/2  pound spicy Italian sausage

• 1 pound lean ground beef

• ½ cup minced onion

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

• ½ cup water

• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided

• 1 teaspoons dried basil leaves

• 1 teaspoons salt, divided, or to taste

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• 3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 12 lasagna noodles

• 16 ounces ricotta cheese

• 1 egg

• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• • 1. Cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and water. Season with, 4 tablespoons parsley, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper. 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 2 tablespoons parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

    3. Preheat the oven to 325 

    4. To assemble, spread 1 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese slices and shredded mozzarella. Spoon 1  cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice, 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.

    6. Bake in the preheated oven for one hour m Remove the foil and turn oven to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until top is golden brown. Rest lasagna for 15 minutes before serving.