Harry’s Heavenly Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 pound of lean ground beef
1 pound of Italian sausage or hot breakfast sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ sweet onion, chopped
2 cans (14.5 ounce) whole tomatoes
2 cans (6 ounce) tomato paste
3 tablespoons Italian seasoning (More or less to suit individual taste.)
2 ½ teaspoon of salt
3 cups of ricotta cheese. (You can substitute with cottage cheese but don’t EVER tell your Italian friends.)
2 whole beaten eggs
½ c grated Parmesan cheese. (Not shredded!)
2 tablespoons of dried parsley
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 package of (10 ounce) lasagna noodles. (I know people who’ve use the Barilla oven-ready noodles and were delighted with how the lasagna turned out.)
1 pound of slice mozzarella. (Yep, sliced and not shredded.)

*Fancy pants optional ingredient: ½ cup of red wine to deglaze the pan between cooking the meat and adding the tomatoes.

Directions:

  1. I prefer to put my whole tomatoes in a blender to break them down prior to adding them into the saucepan, but this is a step you can skip if you choose. I don’t like my sauce chunky, and this ensures a smoother consistency. You can absolutely skip this step and break the tomatoes down after they’ve simmered as instructed below.
  2. Combine ground beef and sausage (Italian or hot breakfast) in a large skillet or saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. I transfer the cooked meat to a paper towel lined plate. I drain all but maybe 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fat out of the pan. I want some for taste, but I’m trying to go easier on the heart.
  3. Add the onions to the hot skillet. I like to cook my onions until they become translucent. Usually takes 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir together for an additional thirty seconds. If you’re going to deglaze your pan with red wine, this is where you do it. Just pour that yumminess in the pan and cook until it reduces in half.
  4. Add the tomatoes, either out of the blender or from the cans, and the tomato paste. Add your Italian seasoning and one teaspoon of salt. Add your meat back into the saucepan. All your sauce ingredients should be combined now, and you’re going to simmer for 45 minutes.
  5. While the sauce in simmering, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare your cheese filling. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta (or cottage cheese), beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of dried parsley, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together well and set aside.
  6. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook the lasagna noodles to al-dente, which is still a little firm. The noodles will continue to cook in the oven. Boiling them too long will give you a mushy consistency in the end. If you’re using the oven-ready style noodles, then you’ll skip this part and go to assembly instructions. I lay my noodles on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil after they reach al-dente.
  7. To assemble the lasagna: Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodle in the bottom of a baking pan. Overlap if needed. Spoon half of the cheese mixture over the noodles and spread evenly. Cover the cheese mixture with a layer of slice mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat sauce over the top. Repeat layers, ending with the meat sauce. Sprinkle extra grated Parmesan on top.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is hot and bubbly.