Three Cheese Lasagna with Sausage
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped
3/4 cup peeled carrot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
8 ounces lean ground beef
6 ounces spicy Italian sausages, casing removed
1 28 ounce crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red peppers
LASAGNA
15 lasagna noodles
2 15 ounce containers part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 large eggs
5 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
Directions
FOR SAUCE: Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Ad onion, carrots and garlic; saute until tender, about 12 minutes. Add beef and sausages to pan; saute until cooked through, breading up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add remaining indredients. Cover and simmer until flavors blend and sauce measures about 5 cups stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Cool.
FOR LASAGNA: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender but still firm to bite, about 7 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water. combine ricotta and 3/4 cup parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Mix in spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs. Drain pasta and pat dry. Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of 13x9" glass baking dish. Place 5 noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit. Spread half of ricotta-spinach mixture evenly over noodles. Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over mozzarella, spreading with spatula to cover (sauce will be thick). Repeat layering with 5 noodles, remaining ricotta-spinach mixture, 2 cups mozzarella and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Arrange remaining 5 noodles over sauce. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesan evenly over lasagna. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.) Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake lasagna 40 minutes; uncover and continue baking until hot and bubbly, about 40 more minutes. Let lasagna stand 15 minutes before serving
