Lasagna
½ lbs of ground beef
½ lbs of ground sausage
Salt and pepper
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic minced
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 T. Olive oil
8 oz can tomato sauce
6 oz can tomato paste
6 oz water
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground thyme
1 T brown sugar
6 dried lasagna noodles
1 beaten egg
15 oz ricotta cheese
¼ C. grated Parmesan cheese (I like to use the 4 cheese blend you can find in any grocery store)
3 T. chopped fresh parsley, optional (I use dried and it’s just fine)
2 cups mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan Cheese (I
like to use the 4 cheese blend you can find in any grocery store)
I try to cut down on
some of the fat so I use lower fat ground beef (usually 10%), the reduced fat
ground sausage, low-fat ricotta cheese and either 2% or part skim mozzarella
cheese (depending on what I can find).
No one can tell that I use lower fat items.
For sauce: In medium
sauce pan sauté oil, onions, garlic and pepper flakes for just a little
bit. Add meat and salt and pepper and cook
until brown. Stir in tomato sauce,
tomato paste, water, basil, oregano, thyme, and sugar. Bring to a boil; reduce heat cover and simmer
for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook noodles for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender
but still firm; rinse with cold water.
Or you can use the lasagna noodles that are oven ready.
For filling; combine egg, ricotta cheese, ¼ c. parmesan
cheese and parsley.
I put a little sauce in the bottom of the baking dish before
I start layering because it helps it come out better. Layer half of the cooked noodles in a 2 quart
rectangular backing dish. Spread half of
the filling. Top with half the meat
sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese.
Repeat the layers. Sprinkle
parmesan cheese on top.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly and
slightly browned on top. Let stand for
at least 10 minutes before serving.
I find it’s just as easy to make 2 lasagnas as it is to make
one, so you can cook one that night and freeze the other. If you freeze one just defrost it then cook
it at 375 degrees covered for 40 minutes and then uncovered for 20 minutes.