Lasagna

One of my favorite famous chefs is Ina Garten-she never seems to steer me in the wrong direction when it comes to her recipes.  She also offers lots of helpful cooking and entertaining advice and one thing I picked up from her is her idea that everyone should have a few recipes that are tried and true for them, ones that they are confident making and always come out great.  This way, when you have guests, you can feel good and not stressed at all about what you are serving.  This recipe for a classic lasagna is one of those recipes for me.  I make it for guests all the time and I can honestly say that everyone I have made it for absolutely loved it.

 I especially love serving this around the holidays for large groups of people-it's even a great meal to serve on Christmas.  I like this lasagna so much that sometimes I will just make it when it is just the two of us and we can eat it all week for leftovers.  It's also a great make ahead meal that you can store in the freezer and bake when you are ready to eat it. 

Lasagna

1 pound ground beef
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage meat, removed from casings & chopped (I use a combination of both)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound lasagna noodles

4 cups Marinara Sauce

2 pounds ricotta cheese
2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Stir in the beef and saute for 5 minutes or until well browned. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the sausage to the saucepan and saute until browned. Return beef to saute pan. Add marinara sauce to the pan and stir to combine sauce with sausage and beef.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes or more if you have time. If needed, add water, a quarter cup at a time. If sauce is too fatty, either skim off the fat or put a few layers of paper towel on the top to absorb the excess fat.

Add the noodles and 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large, deep pot filled with rapidly boiling salted water. Cook noodles until al dente. Drain well in a colander and then run under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Put noodles, in a single layer, on clean, damp kitchen towels. Cover with clean, damp towels.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, the Parmesan, egg and parsley.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Ladle a thin layer of meat sauce into a lasagna pan. Cover with noodles, laid lengthwise, then cover noodles with a layer of meat sauce.  Spread a thin, smooth layer of ricotta mixture over the meat sauce. Sprinkle with grated mozzarella and Parmesan. Continue layers of pasta, sauce, and cheese, alternating the pasta in opposite directions for each layer (lengthwise, then crosswise, etc.). Finish with a layer of meat sauce covered with mozzarella and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until cheese topping has melted and lasagna is bubbling.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Source: Adapted from Rao's Cookbook: Over 100 Years of Italian Homecooking