Classic Lasagna

For a special Father's Day meal, I tried a new lasagna recipe. I've had one lasagna recipe that I've been using for eight years now, and that lasagna is good, but it's not spectacular. The recipe was my late father-in-law's, so perhaps I felt I should stay loyal to that particular lasagna. But then I came across this recipe that just sounded so much better than mine, and I just had to try it out.

When you're talking about that cheese mixture in lasagna, my husband is partial to a cottage cheese based mixture, while I prefer ricotta. Well, this new recipe contains both. And not only does it contain ground beef, it has sausage in it, too. And not just mozzarella cheese but provolone, as well. Two different meats and five kinds of cheese are in this baby. Just reading the list of ingredients makes my mouth water.

It should come as no surprise then that this one was out of this world! All three of us immensely enjoyed this Italian classic. Of course, we gave this dish a five-star rating, and it will be replacing my old lasagna recipe. My parents always enjoyed my lasagna, so I can't wait to make this one for them! You should definitely try this one. If you like Italian food, I guarantee you'll think you're eating lasagna in a fine Italian restaurant when you dig in to this meal. I served it with a nice garden salad and garlic bread on the side. Magnifico!

Have a good week and good eating!
Allison

Classic Lasagna

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
¾ lb. (12 oz.) bulk pork sausage
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms
3 cans (8 oz. each) tomato sauce
2 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
3 eggs
3 tsp. dried parsley flakes
3 cups (24 oz.) small-curd cottage cheese
1 carton (8 oz.) ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
6 slices Provolone cheese
3 cups (12 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Preparation:
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef and sausage until no longer pink; drain. Add the next eight ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. In a bowl, combine the eggs, parsley, cottage cheese, ricotta, and Parmesan. Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in an ungreased 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Layer with three noodles, provolone cheese, 2 cups cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, three noodles, 2 cups meat sauce, remaining cottage cheese mixture and one cup mozzarella. Top with the remaining noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella (dish will be full). Cover and bake at 375°F for 50 minutes. Uncover; bake 20 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Go To Page: 1

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic