Lasagna for Family Night
Delicious family night meal made from scratch!
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 1 ½ packages dried lasagna noodles
- 24 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 lb. ground sweet Italian sausage
- 1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan - divided
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 5 cloves of garlic minced or crushed - divided
- 2 28 oz canned whole peeled tomatoes I use San Marzano
- 3 tablespoon of tomato paste
- ½ cup dry red wine I use cabernet sauvignon
- pinch of granulated sugar
- ½ cup fresh Italian parsley chopped
- 1 ½ lbs. sliced mozzarella cheese or 3 cups shredded
- ¾ cup fresh basil - torn or chiffonade - divided
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 tbsp. dried marjoram
- 1 tbsp. dried thyme
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
Instructions
Sauce
- In a stock pot or dutch oven heat olive oil
- Add in onion and saute until translucent and soft
- Add in 3 cloves of garlic and saute until fragrant
- Add in ground beef and Italian sausage and brown. Drain
- Add mixture back to stock pot and add wine. Cook until reduced
- Add tomatoes that you have crushed by hand, tomato paste, all dried herbs, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix together and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer sauce at least 20 minutes
- 10 minutes before removing the sauce from heat, stir in ½ cup torn basil
When sauce is finishing
- Boil noodles in salted water until just before al dente (they should be pliable, but still stiff enough that they can cook in the oven)
- Combine ricotta, ¾ cup of Parm, 2 cloves of garlic, salt, and Italian parsley in a mixing bowl
In a 13x9 Baking dish
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Ladle a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of the dish
- Layer in 1 layer of noodles shingle style
- Place a layer of ricotta mixture on top of noodles
- Place layer of mozzarella on top of ricotta mixture
- Place layer of sauce on top of mozzarella
- Repeat until dish is full
- Top layer will be Sauce and remaining Parmesan cheese
- Bake in oven for 45 minutes
- Garnish with remaining basil