Meat Lasagna

With homemade meat sauce and three different cheeses, this lasagna recipe will have you thinking you've ordered it at your favorite Italian restaurant.

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 3 50

Total Time 4 20

Servings

Calories 760kcal

Author Ryan Beck

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup white onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon Italian parsley, finely chopped
1 lb ground chuck
1 lb ground pork
1 (28 oz can) San Marzano tomatoes
1 (6.5 oz can) tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
2 (6 oz cans) tomato paste
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Lasagna

1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
meat sauce
12 lasagna noodles
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 lb deli mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Meat Sauce

In large Dutch oven or skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and parsley and cook until onion is tender - about 5 minutes. Add chuck and pork and sauté meat, stirring occasionally until it is well browned, about 5 minutes. Drain the fat from the meat.
Add the San Marzano tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, oregano, basil, salt and black pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and simmer covered for 3 hours, stirring the sauce occasionally.

Lasagna

Bring 3 quarts of water to boil. Add salt and olive oil and cook lasagna al dente, according to package instructions.
Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 13x9 baking dish.
To assemble lasagna, spoon a third of meat sauce evenly into the bottom of the prepared dish. Over the sauce, layer a third of the noodles, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. Repeat layering twice, beginning with sauce and ending with parmesan.
Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the top is browned.
Let lasagna stand for 20-30 minutes before cutting to serve.

Notes

Take the time to make your own meat sauce and let it cook for three hours so the flavors develop.
Use a combination of ground chuck and ground pork to give additional flavor.
Use deli sliced mozzarella as it has less water and makes it perfect to get nice and stretchy when being baked.
You can prepare the lasagna a day ahead of time. Just cover in the fridge before placing in oven to cook. You will have to cook 5-10 minutes longer.

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