Ingredients
12 lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon EVOO
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup red onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves Cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 pound lean ground beef
3/4 cup red wine
24 ounces marinara
1/2 cup water
15 ounces whole milk ricotta
8 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated and divided
1 pound mozzarella, grated and divided
1 large egg 1
1 ounce basil
Instructions
Fill a deep baking dish (9×12) with VERY hot water. Carefully place the lasagne noodles one at a time in the water, making sure they don’t stick. Let them soak while you prepare everything else for the lasagna.
Heat a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil.Shake the pan and then add the chopped carrot, celery, onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sauté the vegetables for 4-5 minutes until soft. When they start to brown, reduce the heat to medium-low. Add garlic, stir and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
Add the Italian sausage and ground beef along with another 1/2 teaspoon of salt.Increase heat to medium-high. Using a wooden spoon, break the meat into very small pieces. Cook, stirring frequently, until all of the meat is cooked through. This should take about 10 minutes.
While the meat is cooking and stirring, you can use this time to shred the cheese if you haven’t already.
When the meat is well cooked, add the red wine.Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer.
Cook over low heat until the quantity is slightly reduced. Add pickled marinara. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the empty sauce jar, replace the lid, and shake to remove any remaining sauce from the jar. Add to pan with sauce and meat mixture.Stir to combine. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and let the sauce simmer while you prepare the ricotta mixture. Add
ricotta, 1 cup grated Parmesan, 2 cups grated mozzarella, 1 large egg, 1/2
Place teaspoons of salt and finely chopped basil in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
Drain the water from the baking dish, remove the pasta and pat dry with paper towels.
Remove the lid from the sauce and turn off the stove. Season with salt and pepper.Mix together remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Put aside.
Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or brush with olive oil. Spread 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with three lasagne noodles.Use a fourth noodle to fill in the gap at the bottom if there is one. Cut the nooodles to size. Spread another 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over the layer of noodles. Sprinkle the meat sauce with 1 cup of the mozzarella and parmesan mixture. Dollop half of the ricotta mixture on top of the mozzarella and cheese.Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to gently spread the ricotta into an even layer. Place three more noodles on top of the ricotta. Again, use a fourth noodle to fill the space at the bottom if there is one.
Cut the noodles to the right size to fill the space well. Spread another 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over the pasta layer.Sprinkle the meat sauce with another cup of the mozzarella-Parmesan mixture.
Add the remaining half of the ricotta mixture to the mozzarella and cheese. Use an offset spatula or the back of a spoon to gently spread the ricotta into an even layer. Place a final layer (3) of lasagna noodles on top of the ricotta. Use a fourth noodle to fill the space at the bottom if there is one.Cut the noodles to the appropriate size. Spread the remaining meat sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Spray a large piece of aluminum foil with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the lasagna and bake for 45 minutes.Remove the foil and increase the temperature in the oven to 375 degrees. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and the lasagne is bubbling.
Let the lasagna rest for AT LEAST 20 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!
