I hate lasagna. Like HATE it. But the wife loves it…and has requested I learn to make it for her. So I have…and this is the recipe I used based on the allrecipes.com “World’s Best Lasagna Recipe”…with modifications by me which frankly made it better. This takes a couple of hours total to make but it’s WORTH it, because even I like this Lasagna.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• ¾ pound lean ground beef
• ½ cup minced onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh italian parsley, divided
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt, divided, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375. Scramble sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium high heat until well browned.
2. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Season with half the parsley, all basil, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and pepper. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the honey once it’s done and stir it in to make sure it’s thoroughly worked into the sauce.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. You want them a little “al dente”. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
5. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Cover with about 1/3 of the 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.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Rest lasagna for 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 448
Total Fat 21g
Saturated Fat 10g
Cholesterol 82mg
Sodium 1400mg
Total Carbohydrate 37g
Dietary Fiber 4g
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 30g
Vitamin C 17mg
Calcium 442mg
Iron 4mg
Potassium 876mg