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Whenever I make lasagna I’m amazed I don’t make it more often. It is so good. This is a wonderful dish to make for a crowd but It’s also worth it to make for two or four people. You may want to cut the recipe in half or even better, the leftovers are wonderful. For the hearty meat sauce I do typically use a combo of lean ground beef and ground pork (or sausage). I like the combination and flavor the two meats give the sauce. And don’t be shy on the cheese. Cheese is the ultimate best finisher to this recipe. I found what I would call a shortcut less hassle way to cook the noodles. I found it saved me a little time and I didn’t over cook the noodles. Give it a try.
Classic Lasagna
Ingredients
- 12 Lasagna Noodles
- 1 pound of lean Ground Beef
- 1 pound of Ground Pork
- Salt and Pepper
- ½ Onion, diced
- 1 tsp Fennel, crushed (if just using ground pork)
- 1 Tbsp Thyme
- 2 tsp Oregano
- 2 tsp Basil
- 3-4 Garlic, cloves minced
- 1 28 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 14.5oz can Tomato Sauce
- 1 6 oz can Tomato Paste
- ¼ cup (about) Red Wine
- 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- Few Red Pepper Flakes, if desired
- 4 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- ½ cup Parsley, chopped
- 1 15 oz Ricotta Cheese, full fat
- 1 egg
Directions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees
- In a Dutch oven, drizzle with a little olive oil. Add the meat and salt and pepper. Add the ground beef and pork and season meat with salt and pepper. Break up the meat. Add in the diced onions and fennel and cook until the meat is no longer pink and onions are tender. Add in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste is cooked.
- To the Dutch oven, add the thyme, oregano, basil, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cook for about 15 minutes. Then add in the red wine and the red pepper flakes. Cook the sauce on low for at least an hour. Taste and add the sugar if desired / needed. I added it when I made the lasagna sauce. Continue to cook the sauce on simmer while cooking the noodles and making the cheese mixture.
- Place the 12 lasagna noodles in a large enough dish to hold and cover the noodles with hot water. Add enough hot water to cover the noodles and let sit for about 20-30 minutes.
- In a medium size bowl mix the ricotta cheese, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, ½ cup Mozzarella cheese, egg and ¼ cup parsley together until combined. In another bowl add the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese together.
- Assemble the Lasagna. Remove the noodles from the water and pat dry. In a deep 9×13 baking dish add some of the sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Place 3 lasagna noodles side by side. Break up the 4th noodle to cover any open spaces. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles, then the meat sauce and then sprinkle about ¼ of the mozzarella parmesan cheese mixture on top. Repeat the layers 2 more times, ending with noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella and parmesan cheese mixture.
- Cover the dish with foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray (so the cheese doesn’t stick to it) and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for another 15-20 minutes until the cheese just begins to fully melt and turn brown around the edges.
- Remove the oven and let cool for about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.
Enjoy … gathering around the table with family and friends
