Ingredients
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1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
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1/2 lb ground beef
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1/2 lb ground veal
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1 lb hot Italian sausage, casing removed
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4 teaspoons minced garlic
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1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
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2 tablespoons tomato paste
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1 (28 ounce) can italian whole canned tomatoes or 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, finely chopped, juices reserved
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2 (28 ounce) cans tomato puree
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salt & freshly ground black pepper
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3 lbs fresh ricotta
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1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
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2 tablespoons finely chopped basil
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1 1/2 lbs fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded, 1/2 cup set aside
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1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup set aside
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1/2 lb ground pork
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2 large eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Sauce:
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil, add the beef, pork, veal and sausage (without casing) and cook until browned.
- Add garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook until the meat is coated.
- Add tomatoes with their juices and the tomato puree, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened about 1 1/2 hours.
- Ricotta:
- In large bowl, combine the ricotta with the parsley, basil, 1 cup of the Parmesan, 1 pound of the shredded mozzarella and beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
- Noodles:
- The instructions suggested cooking the dry, curly-ridged lasagna noodles 3 minutes in abundant salted water, drained, rinsed -- I say use fresh, no-cook or even the curly edged pasta, and forget about the pre-cooking. I guarantee the sauce will cook the noodles after 45 minutes of cooking time. This also makes life much easier.
- Lasagna Time:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F Spread 1.5 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Line the dish with overlapping noodles.
- Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, sprinkle with a little Parmesan and shredded mozzarella then top with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and another layer of noodles.
- Repeat the layering 2 more times. Top with noodles and cover with 1 1/2 cups of sauce (may want to use extra if using uncooked noodles to ensure the noodles are covered and cook evenly. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over the lasagna.
- Cover Lasagna with foil and bake for about 20 minutes.
- Uncover then cook for 30-45 minutes more or until the top is golden and crisp around the edges and the filling is bubbling.
- Let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes before serving.