World's Best Lasagna

I made this one before, but thought it was too salty. So I tweaked it this time and it. is. amazing!!! Bo even said so. :) Instead of 1 Tbsp of salt, I put in 1 tsp. and a pinch. (maybe like 1/4 tsp.) It takes a while... like 3 hours, but I promise you, it's worth it!!

Prep: 30 mins.
Cook: 2 hrs. 30 mins.
Ready In: 3 hrs. 15 mins.
Serving size: a whole 9x13" pan (8??)


INGREDIENTS

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (I just used my Jimmy Deans from Costco I had on hand)
3/4 lb. lean ground beef (I used the whole pound)
1/2 C minced onion (I used red onions, but I usually use yellow)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (I had diced tomatoes at 15 oz each, so I just used two)
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 oz.) cans canned tomato sauce (Again, I had a 15 oz. can and just used the whole thing)
1/2 C water
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. salt (here is where I used only 1 1/4 tsp. salt, the sausage already brings a lot of salt in)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I used dried parsley and just did the same amount, didn't even realize it said fresh until now...)
12 lasagna noodles
16 oz. ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese instead, worked great!)
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced (I just used the shredded I had in the freezer and sprinkled as much as I wanted on it)
3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese (I just sprinkled what I wanted again)


DIRECTIONS

1 - In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel, seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 Tbsp. salt (again 1 1/4 tsp. but you be the judge, I figured you can always salt after), pepper and 2 Tbsp parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2 - Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese (cottage cheese) with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 tsp salt.

3 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).

4 - To assemble, spread 1 1/2 C meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese. Spoon 1 1/2 C meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 C Parmesan cheese. 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 foil doesn't touch the cheese.

5 - Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.


ENJOY!

Thanks to Johnchandler over at AllRecipes.com for the recipe. Find the original recipe HERE.