Lasagna Recipe

UrbanoeFresco!
            Your Bite of Italy

LASAGNE

                            Pasta dish

Lasagne (/ləˈzænjə, -ˈzɑːn-, -ˈsɑːn-/; Italian: [laˈzaɲɲe]; singular lasagna) are wide, flat pasta, and possibly one of the oldest types of pasta.^[1] "Lasagne", or the singular "lasagna", commonly refers to a dish made with several layers of lasagne sheets alternated with sauces and other ingredients, such as meats and cheese.

Lasagne originated in Italy during the Middle Ages and has traditionally been ascribed to the city of Naples. The first recorded recipe was set down in the early 14th century Liber de Coquina (The Book of Cookery). It bore only a slight resemblance to the later traditional form of lasagne, featuring a fermented dough, flattened into a thin sheet, boiled, sprinkled with cheese and spices, and then eaten with the use of a small pointed stick. Other recipes written in the century following the Liber de Coquina recommended boiling the pasta in a chicken broth and dressing it with cheese and chicken fat, or in one case walnuts, in a recipe adapted for the Lentenfast.

" Buon appetito."

Ingredients For 12 Serving

• • 9 lasagna noodles*
  • 1-1/4 pounds  Italian sausage
  • 3/4 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cans (one 28 ounces, one 15 ounces) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 3 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, divided
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 3/4 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
  • 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Prep
  1 H
• Cook
  50 m
• Ready In
  2 H

1. Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook sausage, beef and onion over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, breaking up meat into crumbles. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Drain.
2. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, 3 tablespoons parsley, basil, fennel, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. In a small bowl, mix egg, ricotta cheese, and remaining parsley and salt.
4. Preheat oven to 375°. Spread 2 cups meat sauce into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with three noodles and a third of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce and cheeses (dish will be full).
5. Bake, covered, 25 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 25 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Footnotes

• Use Hand made pasta noodles for best results. 
• Substitute Mild Sausage  for the Italian Sausage  if desired.