Recipe Background
It's a shame, but summer can't stay forever. Eventually, the leaves will start to turn, and the kids will be heading back to school. But that's not a reason to despair, instead, you can celebrate! It means it's time for fall treats and even more hearty, warming fare, like the Back-to-School Lasagna. If anything can get your kids excited about attending class tomorrow, it's this Back-to-School Lasagna. Layer upon layer of tender lasagna noodles, creamy cheese sauce, and a savory, beefy, and bright tomato meat sauce will ensure there's never a dull bite: in fact, this might be the most exciting pasta you've ever had! Autumn may be here, but there's always time for one more delicious adventure and always room for one more bite!
It's a shame, but summer can't stay forever. Eventually, the leaves will start to turn, and the kids will be heading back to school. But that's not a reason to despair, instead, you can celebrate! It means it's time for fall treats and even more hearty, warming fare, like the Back-to-School Lasagna. If anything can get your kids excited about attending class tomorrow, it's this Back-to-School Lasagna. Layer upon layer of tender lasagna noodles, creamy cheese sauce, and a savory, beefy, and bright tomato meat sauce will ensure there's never a dull bite: in fact, this might be the most exciting pasta you've ever had! Autumn may be here, but there's always time for one more delicious adventure and always room for one more bite!
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 3/4 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
- 2 (6.5-ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt divided
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped, divided
- hot sauce optional, to taste
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 1 (16-ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 12 ounces mozzarella cheese sliced
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
Directions
- In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook the sausage, the ground beef, the onions, and the garlic until the meat is well-browned, about 6-7 minutes.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes and their juices, the tomato paste, the tomato sauce, and the water.
- Season the mixture with the sugar, the basil, the fennel seeds, the Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the pepper, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and the hot sauce.
- Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally until the flavors have fully melded, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
- Cook the lasagna noodles in the boiling water until just al dente, about 8-10 minutes.
- Drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, the egg, the remaining parsley, and the remaining salt.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish, spread 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce.
- Arrange 6 of the noodles lengthwise over the meat sauce.
- Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the noodle layer.
- Top the ricotta layer with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese slices.
- Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce over the mozzarella layer.
- Sprinkle the meat sauce layer with 1/2 of the remaining mozzarella slices.
- Repeat the layers with the remaining mozzarella slices and the parmesan.
- Spray the foil with cooking spray and cover the baking dish. Make sure the foil does not touch the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake until melty and golden-brown, about 25 minutes.
- Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.
×
