Diane’s Lasagna

1 pound of sweet Italian sausage
1 pound of ground beef
1 pkg pepperoni
1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 – 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 – 15 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 – 12 oz cans of tomato paste
1/2 Cup of white wine, or water 
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon fennel seed
2 teaspoons fresh Basil leaves chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped – for Meat sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
15 oz of ricotta cheese.
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped – for Ricotta cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg (can substitute cinnamon)
1 egg
1 pound sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 lasagna noodles

DIRECTIONS

Brown the ground beef and sausage. (Removing grease is optional.)  Sauté the onions and garlic.

 Stir into the cooking meat the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water.

Add the sugar, fennel seed, fresh Basil leaves, 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, salt, Italian seasoning, and ground pepper.  Gently stir these seasoning into the sauce.

Cover the pot and let the meat sauce simmer on low heat for 1 hour.  (Meat sauce can be made and refrigerated overnight after it finishes simmering.)

 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook 12 lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.

While the noodles are soaking you can make the cheese filling.

In a mixing bowl, with a spoon, mix the ricotta cheese, fresh grated nutmeg, 1 egg and 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped

Now we start building the lasagna layers.

Use a 9×13 inch baking pan.

Spread a single layer of pepperoni across the bottom of the pan
Spread 2 cups of meat sauce on top of the pepperoni.

Remove your lasagna noodles out of the water bath.

Shake water off wet noodles.

Lay 6 noodles across the layer of sauce.

Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the layer of noodles.

Spread a layer of sliced mozzarella cheese, or a little less than 1/2 if shredded, over the ricotta layer.
Sprinkle a little less than half of the Parmesan cheese over the mozzarella layer.

Spread 2 cups of meat sauce over the cheese layer.
Lay down the next layer of noodles.
Spread the remaining ricotta mixture over noodles
Lay down the next layer of mozzarella slices and Parmesan cheeses, saving some cheese for the top of the lasagna.
Put the last layer of meat sauce on the cheeses.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

Cover with foil.

Bake in preheated oven at 360 F for 25 minutes.
Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 15 minutes.