Lasagna

Instructions

1. Start the meat sauce In a large Dutch oven or heavy kettle, combine **1 pound ground beef**, **1 pound ground lean pork**, **1½ cups chopped onion**, and **1 clove minced garlic**. Cook over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the meat, until the meat is browned and the onion is tender. Drain off any excess fat.
2. Simmer the tomato sauce Add **1 (16-ounce) can tomatoes**, **1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce**, **1/8 cup dried parsley flakes**, **1/8 cup granulated sugar**, **1/2 teaspoon salt**, and **1 teaspoon dried basil** to the browned meat mixture. Stir well. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for about **60 minutes**, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick like a hearty spaghetti sauce.
3. Cook and drain lasagna noodles While the sauce simmers, cook **1 (8-ounce) package lasagna noodles** according to the package directions in a large pot of salted boiling water until just tender. Drain the noodles well and lay them out in a single layer on lightly oiled foil or a baking sheet to prevent sticking.
4. Mix the ricotta filling In a medium mixing bowl combine **32 ounces ricotta cheese**, **1 large egg**, **1/2 cup grated Parmesan**, **1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes**, **1/2 tablespoon salt**, and **1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves**. Stir until the ricotta filling is smooth and evenly seasoned.
5. Preheat oven and reserve sauce Preheat the oven to **350°F**. When the meat sauce has thickened, ladle out about **1 cup of the meat sauce** and set it aside to use as a thin top layer for the lasagna.
6. Layer the lasagna In an ungreased **13×9×2-inch baking dish**, layer the ingredients as follows: Spread about one-quarter of the remaining meat sauce over the bottom, then add a layer made from about one-quarter of the **cooked lasagna noodles**. Top with about one-quarter of the **ricotta filling** and about one-quarter of the **1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese**. Repeat this layering (noodles, meat sauce, ricotta filling, mozzarella) until you have **four layers**, using up the sauce, noodles, and ricotta filling.
7. Top with sauce and Parmesan Spread the reserved **1 cup meat sauce** over the very top layer of noodles and cheese. Sprinkle evenly with **1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese** for a golden, cheesy topping.
8. Bake Bake the lasagna uncovered at **350°F** for about **45 minutes**, or until the sauce is bubbling around the edges and the top is lightly browned. If you assembled the lasagna ahead and refrigerated it, add **10–15 minutes** to the baking time.
9. Rest and serve Remove the lasagna from the oven and let it stand for **15 minutes** before cutting. This resting time helps the layers set so you can cut clean **3-inch square** pieces. Slice into 12 portions and serve hot.