Italian Lasagna (with meat)

My FIL absolutely loves my lasagna. I wish that I could take credit for putting it together, but that would be a lie. many years ago I had followed the recipe on the back of the Creamette lasagna box and was sold. However, each time I wanted to make it, I just looked on the back of the box, always throwing the one away before it. Well one day I was in the grocery store picking up the noodles. I looked on the back of the box (I always bought the groceries I needed from the recipe as well) and it had VEGETABLE lasagna on the back. WHAT?!?! Oh no!! I checked almost every box on the grocery store shelf, but alas, no Italian Lasagna recipe. ACK!



So I hoped and prayed that I still had a box in the cabinet. I was lucky, there was still half a box of noodles on my shelf at home, so I immediately cut the recipe off the box and taped it to a piece of paper. it's tattered, it's splattered, but it's tried and true and holds a special place in my recipe binder. :) And now I will share that lost recipe with you as I think it's the best recipe around. And speaking of "best recipes", over at My Lasagna Recipe there's a post called No 1 Best Lasagna Recipe and I was very pleased to see that their recipe is almost identical to mine. Theirs contains nutmeg, which I've never tried, but maybe next time I make it I'll give theirs a whirl. I will say that I tried their noodle soaking method rather than boiling them and it made a world of difference, so I thank them for that!



But for now, I think this is the best lasagna recipe ever. :)

Italian Lasagna

1/2 of a (1-pound) package lasagna, uncooked
1 lb bulk Italian sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz) can tomatoes, cut up (undrained)
2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp basil leaves
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
1 egg beaten
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sliced pitted ripe olives (I omit this, I hate olives LOL)
4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated parmasan cheese

Prepare lasagna according to package directions, drain.
(I didn't do this last night and it was much better. Instead I filled a baking pan with hot water and put the noodles in. After making the meat mixture I drained the water and added more hot water. They were softer but not cooked, they finished cooking during the baking process. Much easier to cut the finished product!)

In large skillet, combine Italian sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until sausage is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Stir in next 7 ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes. In medium bowl, blend ricotta, egg, parsley, and salt. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce into 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Layer one-third each lasagna, remaining meat sauce, ricotta mixture, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Cover. Bake in 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes. Uncover, bake until hot, about 20 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

8-10 servings.

When I cooked mine last night the cheese wasn't browned enough for me so I placed it under the broiler for just a few minutes. :O)

MANGA!