Quite Possibly the Best Lasagna

Andrew made this lasagna for dinner on Sunday night and it was so delicious, I had to share. He found the recipe here, and like the name “World’s Best Lasagna,” it very well may be just that.

World’s Best Lasagna

• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
• 1 lb ground beef (we used grass fed ground round)
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley (optional- I think he used half this but dried)
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese (we used handmade rather than the processed stuff and it was amazing!)
• 1 egg
• 3/4 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and dried parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. 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.
3. Preheat oven to 375.
4. 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 half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third 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.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with garlic bread and give that hubby a smooch- he sure as heck deserves it after all that hard work cooking dinner!

Oh! And Happy April 1st! How many of you were ready to kiss March good-bye (or kick it in the pants?)! April is going to be great- I can feel it!