Oh My Gosh Good Lasagna

This is my all-time favorite lasagna . . . absolutely delicious! 

Try to make the sauce early in the day. It melds the flavors nicely, and frees up your time in the kitchen later. And the key is the sauce and using slices of cheese, not shredded. And it's even better warmed up the next day.

12 lasagna noodles

1-1/4 pounds bulk Italian sausage

3/4 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 cans (15 ounces ea.) diced tomatoes*

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 jar (24 oz.) Prego Traditional Pasta Sauce

2/3 cup water

2 tablespoons sugar (scant)

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley**

2 teaspoons dried basil

3/4 teaspoon fennel seed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten 

30 ounces ricotta cheese 
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley**
1/4 tsp salt

1 lb mozzarella block cheese, sliced (not grated) 

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 slices Provolone cheese (not smoked, if possible)***

*Can use whole tomatoes and chopped them up a little bit in the pot.
**Can use dried parsley; just use less.
***Can use ½ lb sliced mozzarella instead of provolone.

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.

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.

In a small bowl, mix egg, ricotta cheese, and remaining parsley and salt.

Preheat oven to 350°. 
Spread 2 cups meat sauce into an ungreased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with four noodles and a third of the ricotta mixture. Top with ⅓ of the mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce, Provolone, and Parmesan and cheeses (dish will be very full).

Bake, covered, 35 minutes. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes longer, or until bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

REVIEWS AND TIPS from Taste of Home readers:

Absolutely the best lasagna I have ever made. I think the sauce is the key, so thick and meaty and like restaurant sauce. I followed the recipe exactly except I always add pepper flakes. I also think using mozzarella slices makes a big difference, much better than the shredded cheese I have been using. Next time I will double the sauce and freeze half for other meals or recipes.

The Best Italian Dressing

This is totally easy to make and about a zillion times better than anything bottled.

    ¾ cups Vegetable Oil

    ½ cups White Wine Vinegar

    2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan

    1-½ teaspoon Sugar

    1 teaspoon Salt

    ½ teaspoons Celery Seed

    ¼ teaspoons Pepper

    ¼ teaspoons Dry Mustard

    ¼ teaspoons Paprika

    1 clove Garlic, Pressed, or 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

    1 teaspoon Dried Oregano

    1 teaspoon Dried Basil

    1 teaspoon Minced Parsley

Combine all the ingredients, shake and stir well and pour over salad.

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

3/4 pound Italian sausage links, casings removed (mild or hot)

1 medium onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1-3/4 cups water

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 package (9 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini

1 package (6 ounces) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped

2-1/4 teaspoons minced fresh basil or 3/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Dash crushed red pepper flakes

Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

Add tortellini; return to a boil. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until almost tender, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; add the spinach, basil, pepper and pepper flakes. Cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted and tortellini are tender.

Serve with grated cheese if desired.

Fruity Broccoli Salad

You will need to go easy on the seasonings, and taste as you go. I changed all of them from the original recipe, as it was too sour and needed more ginger. This salad actually tastes better the second day.

2 crowns fresh broccoli

½ sweet onion, chopped

1 bag shredded carrots

1 red apple, diced

Sliced seedless red grapes

3/4 cup dried cranberries

½ – ¾ cup slivered almonds

2 Tbs sugar

10 oz. plain, non-fat Greek yogurt

1/3 to ½ cup mayonnaise

¼ tsp ground ginger (scant), or to taste

2 pinches of black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well combined.

Pack in an air-tight container and keep refrigerated up to one week.