This recipe for the world’s best lasagna is perfect for feeding a crowd or for making ahead and freezing for later. The layers of pasta, meat sauce, and cheese make for a hearty and delicious meal that’s sure to satisfy even the pickiest eaters.
Preparation Time:
Preparation time for this recipe is approximately 30 minutes, and cooking time is approximately 2 hours. The recipe yields 12 servings.
Ingredients:
– 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
– 3/4 pound lean ground beef
– 1/2 cup minced onion
– 2 cloves garlic, crushed
– 28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
– 2 6-ounce cans canned tomato paste
– 2 6.5-ounce cans canned tomato sauce
– 1/2 cup water
– 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
– 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
– 12 lasagna noodles
– 16 ounces ricotta cheese
– 1 egg
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
– 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
– In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until browned. Drain the excess fat.
– Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water to the pot, and stir to combine. Add the sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and stir to combine. Simmer the sauce over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
– Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
– In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until al dente. Rinse them with cold water, and drain well.
– In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese with the egg, 2 tablespoons of parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
– To assemble the lasagna, spread 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over the meat sauce. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles, and cover with a third of the sliced mozzarella cheese. Spoon another 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce over the cheese, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers with the remaining noodles, ricotta cheese mixture, and mozzarella cheese. Top with the remaining meat sauce and Parmesan cheese.
– Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
