Ingredients

The following ingredients have 12 Servings
  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
  • 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 3 teaspoons dried basil leaves, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 12-16 lasagna noodles
  • 16 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instruction

  • In a large pot, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water.
  • Add sugar, 2 teaspoons basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
  • Fill a 9x13 pan with hot tap water and a drizzle of olive oil. Lay uncooked lasagna noodles in pan to soften.
  • Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, remaining teaspoon basil and a dash of salt and pepper.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Assemble lasagna as follows: Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a deep 9x13 dish. On top of sauce, layer 4-5 noodles, 1/2 of ricotta mixture, sliced mozzarella, about 2 cups of sauce, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.
  • Repeat once. For the last layer, add 4-5 more noodles, followed by remaining sauce, and sliced mozzarella.
  • Cover with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.