![[lasagna-recipe-illustration.png]]

Ingredients

  • 0.5 lb mild Italian sausage
  • 0.5 lb spicy Italian sausage
  • 0.75 lb lean ground beef
  • 0.5 cup minced yellow onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
  • 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
  • 0.5 cup water
  • 2 tbs white sugar
  • 4 tbs chopped fresh parsley, divided
  • 1.5 tsp dried basil leaves
  • 1.5 tsp salt, divided, or to taste
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 0.5 tsp fennel seeds
  • 0.25 tsp ground black pepper
  • 12 lasagna noodles
  • 16 oz ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 0.75 lbs mozzarella cheese, sliced
  • 0.75 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Step 1

Gather all your ingredients.

![[lasagna-ingredients.png]]

Step 2

Cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat until well browned.

![[lasagna-browning-meat.png]]

Step 3

Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Season with sugar, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

![[lasagna-meat-sauce.png]]

Step 4

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.

![[lasagna-cooked-noodles.png]]

Step 5

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

![[lasagna-ricotta-mixture.png]]

Step 6

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 7

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

![[lasagna-first-layer.png]]

Step 8

Repeat layers, 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.

![[lasagna-covering-foil.png]]

Step 9

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes.

![[lasagna-baked.png]]

Step 10

Rest lasagna for 15 minutes before serving.

![[lasagna-served.png]]

Notes

This is a slightly modified version of the popular “World’s Best Lasagna”. It’s the closest to what my mom made growing up. The major changes are:

  • Use 1/2 lbs and 1/2 lbs spicy and mild Italian sausage vs. 1 lbs of sweet Italian sausage