The Best Lasagna complete with a homemade hearty beef and sausage sauce, ricotta, layered with lots of mozzarella and parmesan. With my step-by-step instructions you are guaranteed the perfect lasagna every time!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Resting time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 lb Italian sausage, mild or spicy
- 3/4 lb ground beef, extra lean
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 1 can
- 6 oz tomato paste, 1 can
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water, if needed
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 4 leaves basil, chopped
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Cheese Mixture
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Lasagna
- 12 lasagna noodles, oven ready
- 1 lb mozzarella cheese, fresh, grated
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
- Make the sauce: Brown the sausage, beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until the meats are fully cooked. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Prepare the cheese mixture: In a medium size bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, and parsley together.
- Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375F. Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce in the bottom of your lasagna dish. Arrange 4 noodles over the sauce, then spread 1/2 the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Layer 1/3 of the mozzarella, another 1 1/2 cups meat mixture, 1/4 cup Parmesan, then repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients finishing with mozzarella and parmesan.
- Bake the lasagna: Cover the lasagna with foil. Spray the side of the foil facing the lasagna with cooking spray to avoid sticking. Bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil, then bake for 25 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving enjoy .
