Sunday Lasagna

I attended Delaware Valley College to study Agri-business. A majority of my peers were from New Jersey or New York. My freshman and sophomore year I lived with girls who all came from big Italian families! One weekend during my freshman year I went over to a friend’s boyfriends off campus house for “Sunday Supper.” She made all kinds of Italian dishes that I had never had or seen! It was that day I learned how to make “gravy."

I only make this lasagna on special occasions, because it is truly special and a labor of love! It is the best lasagna recipe you will find, and I promise you people will be asking you to make for them!!

The “gravy” in this recipe is also the same sauce I use in other red sauce pasta dishes.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage

1/2 lb. mild sausage

1 lb. Stoney Lane ground beef

1 whole medium onion, finely chopped

5 clove(s) garlic minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1 28 oz can crushed or petite diced tomatoes

2 6.5 oz cans canned tomato sauce

2 6 ounce oz cans tomato paste

½ cup water

1 1/2 tosp. sugar

1 tsp. dried basil leaves

1 tsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 lb. lasagna noodles 

15 oz. ricotta cheese 

1 whole egg, slightly beaten

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 pound mozzarella cheese, grated 

1 1/2 cup(s) parmesan cheese, grated

How to make

  1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, garlic and salt over medium heat until well browned.

  2. Drain meat and stir in crushed or petite-diced tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauce.

  3. Season with sugar, basil, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

  4. Simmer on low heat, covered, for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

  5. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 minutes.

  6. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. 

  7. In a medium mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley and ½ cup Parmesan cheese, mix well.

  8. Then, quickly stir in ¼ cup meat sauce into the ricotta mixture, which makes it easier to spread on the noodles later.

  9. Preheat oven to 375°F

  10. To assemble, spread 1½ cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch-baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce.

  11. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese.

  12. Spoon 1½ cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.

  13. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

  14. Cover with foil - to prevent sticking. either spray foil or rub butter on, or use non-stick foil

  15. Bake for 30 minutes.

  16. Remove the foil, and bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

  17. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.