Lasagna

Total Time: 4 hrs Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground round
• 1 lb ground sausage
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 3 lbs chopped yellow onions
• 1 chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped italian parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
• 3 heads garlic, chopped
• 3 lbs ricotta cheese, whole
• 1 lb mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 lb provolone cheese, shreaded
• 1/4 lb parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
• 2 lbs lasagna noodles (cooked)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon red pepper (adjust to taste)
• 2 tablespoons sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups dry red
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree

Recipe

• 1 in a large sauté pan brown meats over a medium heat until dark brown and crumbly and all fat is absorbed.
• 2 this will require a great deal of attention to prevent from burning.
• 3 place meat in stock pot over low heat.
• 4 add olive oil to sauté pan, heat and add onions and sauté till soft, add garlic and herbs and sauté until caramelized and brown.
• 5 add onion to stock pot, deglaze sauté pan with and add to stock pot.
• 6 bring stock pot to a simmer and cook until onion begins to fall apart.
• 7 add tomatoes and cook at a steady simmer for 30 minutes.
• 8 sauce should be very thick and almost all meat.
• 9 add additional seasoning and sugar to taste and remove from heat.
• 10 note: this sauce will be the only seasoning used to flavor many pounds of pasta and cheese so go heavy with the herbs and spices!
• 11 the cheeses can be pretty salty, so don't get too carried away with the salt.
• 12 in a large pot cook the lasagna al dente as directed on the package.
• 13 this can be done while your sauce is simmering, but be sure you can give all your pots the attention they deserve!
• 14 as always, handle your pasta very gently to prevent breakage and waste.
• 15 after draining noodles and add a bit of olive oil to keep them from sticking.
• 16 not too much or your sauce and cheese won't stick to them.
• 17 at this point i like to lay 8 or so perfect noodles aside to use for the top and bottom layers.
• 18 there will be some left over noodles so don't worry about a few broken ones.
• 19 lightly grease a 13x9x4-inch pan with olive oil and add a layer of noodles.
• 20 if your pasta is cooked properly it should take 3 1/2 strips.
• 21 spread cheeses and sauce on top of the noodles and top with a layer of noodles.
• 22 run your hands over the noodles to flatten out the layer-- keep things straight, flat and even.
• 23 continue to build 6 or 7 layers, i don't put mozzarella and provolone on every layer (it gets too gooey) and sometimes use more parmesiano or add some grated peccinoro romano.
• 24 leave the ricotta off the top layer and cover with a generous amount of lasagna sauce (see separate recipe).
• 25 the lasagna can be refrigerated for several days at this point, i've even frozen it for several weeks!
• 26 when ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°f, cover with foil (don't allow foil to touch sauce as there will be an unfavorable reaction that can leave a metallic taste to your lasagna).
• 27 if you put the lasagna in the oven cold from the fridge, bake for 1-1/4 hours covered, if it's room temperature 45 minutes to an hour.
• 28 uncover and continue to bake until top is bubbly and cheese turns golden brown (20 to 20 minutes).
• 29 remove from oven and test, inside should be hot, if not then cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes.