Ingredients
- 1 pound dried lasagna noodles
- Olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 6 ounces tomato paste, (1 can)
- 30 ounces ricotta cheese, (2 containers)
- 1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups tomato sauce, prepared
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping
Directions
Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly, coat with olive oil keep them moist and easy to work with.
Coat a large skillet with olive oil. Saute over medium heat, onion, garlic and herbs. Cook 5 minutes. Brown beef and sausage until no longer pink, about 15 minutes. Drain fat into a small container and discard. Stir in the tomato paste completely. Set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, parsley and oregano. Stir in beaten eggs. Add Parmesan, season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch pan with a ladle full of tomato sauce. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer on the sauce. Then, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Spread 1/2 of the meat mixture over the pasta. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the meat, spread to the edges with a spatula. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top with a ladle full of tomato sauce, spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of noodles, meat, cheeses and sauce. Top last layer with noodles, sauce and shredded mozzarella and Parmesan. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.



















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By laurensimms
on January 21, 2012
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This was my first time making this lasagna and it turned out wonderfully! I used slightly more sauce and slightly less meat as others had suggested and it was a huge hit!
By carolfkeith_124...
Ypsilanti, 62
on January 21, 2012
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Delicious recipe! Served it to my teenagers for dinner this week - and we had leftovers (a miracle!. Everyone loved it. I thought the seasonings were great. The only change I am going to make for next time is to use less meat (2 lbs instead of 2.5 and more mozeralla cheese (1.25 lbs instead of 1 . Even my four kids left some of the meat off to the side of the plate. Also, I found a new lasagna noodle that doesn't need to be pre-cooked. I simply substituted it for the traditional noodles and it saved me from washing one additional pan.
By nancy_cda
on January 09, 2012
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This was really good, and I liked how clearly the recipe was written. I made a couple of tweaks: I didn't use the bay leaves because I find they taste a bit 'dusty'. Also, rather than putting herbs in the ricotta, I sauteed some spinach and garlic in olive oil, allowed it to cool, then folded it into the cheese. The spinach gives a little extra nutrition and depth of flavour.
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