oh so yummy lasagna.

last saturday i posted about several yummy things haley and i spent the day whipping up.   i promised you i would post the recipes, and i don't want you to think i'm a liar, so here we go.  {also, this stuff was so amazing, i want to make sure i get the recipe saved before i lose it}.  but we can pretend this is all for you.  ;)

i didn't have a recipe when travis sprung on me at the grocery store that he would like lasagna for dinner.  i'm not really a lasagna person, so i've never made the stuff.  my mom is a fantastic cook, but i always hated lasagna nights growing up.  of course i jumped on google {what else is a girl to do in the middle of the grocery store when her husband wants a dinner she has never made?}.  i came across a recipe that sounded pretty yummy {and boy was it ever}!

you can find the original recipe on allrecipes. going back and looking at the recipe now, i see that it says "takes a little work, but it's worth it." not sure i would have made it had i seen that message in the beginning, but the guy is right it IS worth it. 

the original recipe calls for 1 lb of sweet italian sausage and 3/4 lb of lean ground beef.  travis didn't want me to use sausage, so i used two lbs of ground beef. it also calls for fennel seeds, which i omitted.

world's best lasagna from allrecipes.com {with my edits}

original recipe makes 12 servings 

• 1 pound sweet italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 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 teaspoon italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
   

1. in a dutch oven, cook 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, italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  {this made the house smell amazing}. 
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. {haley and i did this while the sauce was simmering and just put it in the fridge so it would be ready when it was time to assemble the lasagna}.
3. preheat oven to 375.
4. to assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. arrange 3 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce {the original recipe called for six noodles, but even overlapping them a bit, i wasn't able to fit six in the bottom of my pan}. spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture {so yummy!!}. top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices {i used shredded mozz, but would like to try it with the mozzarella slices in the future}. 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 {i did 4 layers of noodles to be able to use all the noodles i had cooked.  on the very top of my noodles, i only had meat sauce and cheeses}.  cover with foil: to prevent sticking, spray foil with cooking spray
5. bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. cool for 15 minutes before serving.

holy moly. look at that ricotta.  that was my favorite part of this entire dish.

and here's the finished lasagna in all its melty goodness.

travis posted on facebook that it was absolutely delicious, and haley said it was one of the best lasagnas she's ever had because most of them have a lot of sauce and this one doesn't go overboard on the sauce.  later travis told me it was the best he's ever had -- he just wished he could enjoy it more, but his mouth has been hurting so badly.

so there you have it.  a lasagna for the books.  i have an idea this will find its way into my kitchen again.