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.