Homemade lasagna is a classic, delicious dinner that every family should have in their recipe rotation.
PREPARATION TIME:
Ingredients:
12 lasagna noodles uncooked
4 cups mozzarella cheese shredded and divided
½ cup parmesan cheese shredded and divided
Tomato Sauce:
½ pound lean ground beef
½ pound Italian sausage
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
36 ounces pasta sauce *see note
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Cheese Mixture:
2 cups ricotta cheese
¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
1 egg beaten
Instructions:
Notes:
*Note on the sauce: In this recipe, each layer has about 1 cup of meat sauce. If you prefer more sauce in your lasagna, increase the pasta sauce to 48 oz. Salt needed may vary based on the brand of pasta sauce used. Taste and season after simmering.
Cheese Layer The cheese layers are thin; if you’d prefer a thicker layer of cheese, divide the cheese in half and put on the first two layers, and add just meat sauce to the third layer. We did test this with extra ricotta cheese and found it overpowered the lasagna.
Time-Saving Tip: Use fresh lasagna sheets found in the deli area and skip the boiling step! Fresh lasagna doesn’t need to be boiled first.
Let the lasagna sit/rest for at least 15 minutes once removed from the oven (even 30-45 minutes is fine). This will keep it from becoming runny and help it to keep its shape when cut. Resting is not required when reheating.
Substitutions:Ricotta cheese can be replaced with cottage cheese.
Use all beef (or even ground turkey) in place of sausage if needed. If using all beef, add ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning to the meat (and ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds if desired).