Rebekah's Amazing Lasagna

Description
This isn't the easiest way to make lasagna but it has so much flavor that you will not mind. The key is the fresh ingredients. One way to save time is to cook the sauce ahead of time. You can pull it right out of the refrigerator and create layers. Bam. Lasagna from scratch in less than an hour.

12 servings

Ingredients
Sauce
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 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
2 tablespoons basil leaves (or 1.5 tsp dried)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 lasagna noodles
1 tbl salt

Ricotta Filling
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Step 1
Cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned.

Step 2
In a bowl, stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, sugar, basil, 2 tablespoons parsley, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, fennel seeds, and pepper. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Step 3
Bring a large pot water to a boil with 1 tbl salt. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.

Step 4
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, 2 TBL parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Step 5
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 6
Divide sauce into 4 (about 1 1/2 cups).
Divide grated parmesan into 1/4 cup and 1/2 cups.
Divide mozzarella slices into three piles.
Divide ricotta mixture in half.

Step 6
Layer into 9 x 13 pan in this order, making sure to spread out evenly across the
1. Sauce 1/4
2. Noodles 6
3. Ricotta mixture 1/2
4. Mozzarella cheese slices 1/3
5. Sauce 1/4
6. Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup
7. Repeat 1-6
8. Top with remaining 1/3 mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Step 7
Cover with foil. To prevent sticking, spray foil with cooking spray.

Step 8
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.