Kitchen Boss Grandma Maddalena's Sausage Lasagna Recipes

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground pork
1 pound hot Italian sausage, casing removed
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 28-ounce can Italian peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, juices reserved
2 28-ounce cans tomato puree
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 pounds fresh ricotta
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 Tablespoons finely chopped basil
1‑1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup set aside
1‑1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, shredded, 1/2 cup set aside
2 large eggs beaten
1 pound fresh lasagna sheets or dried lasagna noodles

PREPARATION:

1. In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil, add the beef, pork, veal and sausage (that has been removed from its casing) and cook until nicely browned. Add garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until the meat is coated. Add tomatoes with their juices and the tomato puree, season with salt & pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened about 1 1/2 hours.
2. In large bowl, combine the ricotta with the parsley, basil, 1 cup of the parmesan, 1 pound of the shredded mozzarella and beaten eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook the lasagna noodles. Fresh pasta and no-cook lasagna do not require any pre-cooking. Dry, curly-ridged lasagna noodles only need 3 minutes pre-cooking time: boiled in abundant salted water, drained, rinsed in cold water and dried between towels.
4. Preheat the oven to 375°. Spread 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9-by -13 inch glass baking dish. Line the dish with overlapping noodles. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, sprinkle with a little parmesan and shredded mozzarella then top with 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and another layer of noodles. Repeat the layering 2 more times. Top with noodles and cover with 1 1/2 cups of sauce -- there may be some sauce remaining -- save for another use. Toss the remaining mozzarella with the remaining parmesan and sprinkle over the lasagna.
5. Bake the lasagna for about 45 minutes up to one hour, or until the top is golden and crisp around the edges and the filling is bubbling. Let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes before serving.