Wednesday, April 15, 2009

My Husband was Craving Lasagna.....

Last week my husband was carving lasagna. I did not have a recipe that I was impressed with. I have some issues with lasagna. In my head if my lasagna layers do not stay together on my plate then I think its a failure even if it taste great. Then I found this recipe. It title is "Worlds best lasagna". I don't know if I would go that far, but we really liked it. And you know what the layers stayed. I have learned the trick with lasagna is to let is sit after it comes out of the oven for at Least 15 minutes. That way it wont be falling apart on your plate. This sauce is from scratch and it takes a while to cook, but really I was able to do other things while it cooked and just stir it once and while!! It was really good the next day as well!!!

Ingredients
* 1 pound sweet Italian sausage (I didn't have any and it was fine with out)
* 3/4 pound lean ground beef
* 1/2 cup minced onion
* 2 cloves garlic, crushed
* 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
* 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 tablespoons white sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
* 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
* 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* 12 lasagna noodles
* 16 ounces ricotta cheese
* 1 egg
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
* 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
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 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons 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 to 10 minutes( I just soaked mine In hot tap water for 10-15 minutes, it just is easier). Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch 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 slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup 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 the foil does not 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!!!!

Cori Rexburg Idaho

1 comment:

Heather said...

I have this same recipe! :) I used it for years, but now I have an easier one I always use instead. I'll have to post the recipe at some point. Maybe we should just have a "lasagna week"...there are so many recipes out there! As for having the lasagna stay together on your plate...it really helps if you let it sit for 20 minutes or so after you take it out of the oven and before you slice it. Cutting the liquid a little can help too. :)