Amazing Homemade Lasagna Recipe1/27/2013 8 Comments
My husband is weird. No, really, he is! You see, he hates anything that has tomato based sauce. So spaghetti and meatballs are a rarity in my home, as are chicken cacciatore, most chili, and even some stews. But there is one tomato-based dish I cannot help but prepare on occasion, and I force my husband to simply deal with it: Lasagna! I love, love, LOVE lasagna, and so do my kids! So I often try and find a reason to make it. My recipe is absolutely amazing, and the kids lick their plates clean. It's very meaty, cheesy, and even has a bit of a bite to it because I add spicy Italian sausage and crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce. I also use fresh herbs and cheeses whenever possible, and usually make my own homemade Mozzarella cheese and ricotta for this recipe. (Yes, you can actually make your own cheese at home, and while it's an exact science, it's pretty easy!) Anyway, this lasagna is a rare treat in my home, and it always leaves me craving more...Want the recipe? Keep reading! Awesome Homemade Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 pound Italian sausage (We like Hot and Spicy, but any kind will do!)
- 3/4 pound ground beef (We use 80/20 for the best flavor.)
- 1/2 cup minced onion OR 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed (FRESH garlic is best, but jarred minced garlic will work.)
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cans tomato paste
- 2 cans canned tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon sea salt salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese (I prefer whole milk ricotta, but skim works well, too!)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced (The fresher, the better!)
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese ( I grate my own, but the canister type is okay too.)
Directions:
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Drain off excess fat.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Kiera C. 1/27/2013 03:55:45 am My husband is exactly the same way with tomato based things. Maybe he will like this! Also, how do you make homemade mozarella? My husband is Italian and his grandparents used to make it. He talks about it all the time and I would love to try to make it for him some time. Brandy 1/27/2013 04:09:16 am Hi Kiera! Thanks so much for the comment! Yeah, husbands can be odd creatures,lol...Mine will eat this, but he still prefers me to make a Cajun Chicken Lasagna that has white sauce. But sometimes, you just need the "real" thing,lol I actually get cheesemaking kits from New England Cheesemaking Supply Co. They have great kits that include everything you need to make about 30 batches of cheese. (Except for the milk...And one batch takes a whole gallon of milk!) They're pretty reasonably priced, too. I like making mozzarella and including fresh herbs or red peppers in it, and I braid it it make it look nice when we're having company over for dinner. It's really easy to do, but it does require following the instructions exactly. After about 3 or 4 batches, we completely had the hang of it, though! And fresh cheese is SOOOO good! Kiera C 1/27/2013 09:49:19 pm Thanks Brandy! I will have to look into the cheesemaking kits! lisa 1/28/2013 06:16:13 am You only use 12 noodles? Whenever I make a lasagna we end up weighing it. It usually comes in at over 25 pounds. I have trouble. It just grows and grows. Maybe this recipe will help keep it a human size! I'm going to make this Monday. Can you please e-mail with specific can sizes? You know I'm not much of a cook. How many ounces are the cans you use? Thanks! First, you know I can't cook.I'm making this today. I've followed the recipe exactly.Well, I didn't know ground sausage had paper on it so I had to dig that out.And I think you meant a 12 ounce pkg. of noodles? Anyways, it is absolutely delicious! I'm still cooking the sauce but I think I'm going to fill up on that before I put it all together! Brandy 2/4/2013 03:25:24 am Oops, sorry! Just saw this! We has a very hectic weekend and were out quite a bit. Yes, a regular package of lasagna noodles. I think the tomato paste is in 6oz cans? The sauce is just regular sized cans, but the crushed tomatoes you want the big can...If that makes sense. I don't have these in the cabinet right now, so I don't have exact sizes. It IS really, really good though! Enjoy! lisa 2/23/2013 03:03:19 am I love this! I'm not much of a cook,but,this was easy to make and DELICIOUS! Your comment will be posted after it is approved. | RSS Feed PR Friendly Mama!
I'm Brandy, a happily married, proud Mom of 3 amazing kids. If you're interested in building a working relationship, please feel free to e-mail me at: NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3@gmail.com Links We Love :ArchivesJune 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 July 2022 April 2022 March 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011
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