Worlds Best Lasagna

Serves 8

• 305 g sweet Italian sausage
• 225 g lean ground beef
• 55 g minced onion
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 500g canned crushed tomatoes
• 210g tomato paste
• 245 g canned pasta sauce
• 80 ml water
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 8 lasagna sheets
• 400 g ricotta cheese
• 5/8 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon g salt
• 225 g mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 40 g grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a Dutch oven, cook the onion until it is translucent, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add sausage and ground beef cook until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, pasta sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna sheets in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. Skip this step if using pre-cooked lasagna. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and remaining salt.Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
3. To assemble, spread 1/3 of meat sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon another 1/3 meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe Source