No Fail Lasagna

Last week was Italian night for our regularly scheduled Sunday Bravo Crew Potluck. Always a good time with good food. My goal after that night was to grab the other recipes, including Rick’s wickedly good salad, Jerry’s Cowboy Spaghetti, Mac’s tasty pasta, David’s Strawberry Pineapple dessert and on and on and on….. Off the hook good food for sure! Thinking we should do this every four weeks! erves 10

Serves 10

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin

1 pound ground Italian sausage

6 ounces tomato paste (1 can)

30 ounces ricotta cheese (2 containers)

4 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped  (divided)

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (divided)

Salt and black pepper, to taste

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 cups Basic Marinara

12 oz (Twelve 4”X6” noodles) oven-ready lasagna

1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Grated Parmesan and mozzarella, for topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Pre-heat a pan with olive oil over medium heat, and add onion, garlic, bay leaves, 2 tablespoons parsley and 1 tablespoon oregano. Cook 5 minutes. Add the beef and Italian sausage cook until brown, or about 15 minutes. Drain grease, remove the bay leaves, and return to the pot. Stir in the tomato paste completely. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, add the ricotta, 2 tablespoons parsley and 1 tablespoon oregano. Add the eggs and ½ cup parmesan, and mix well.

To prepare the lasagna: Coat a 13 by 9-inch pan with ¼ cup of marinara. Arrange 4 noodles lengthwise (1/3 of the total) side by side (slightly overlapping if necessary) over the sauce. Spread ½ of the meat mixture over the lasagna noodles. Add 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the meat, spread to the edges of the pan. Sprinkle ½ of the shredded mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Top ¼ cup of the marinara sauce and spread evenly. Repeat with the next layer of 4 noodles, ½ meat mixture, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses and ¼ cup of the marina. To finish add the remaining 4 noodles, ¼ cup of marinara and top with grated mozzarella and Parmesan to taste.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Remove from the oven and let the lasagna rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Cut into 10 rectangles and serve topped with marinara and a side of your favorite bread.

Basic Marinara for a Million Uses

Marinara Sauce

Makes ~1 quart

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion (medium), finely chopped

2 medium carrots (diced)

1 ½ teaspoon minced garlic

½ cup red wine (divided)

1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 (14 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon fresh basil (chopped)

1 teaspoon fresh oregano (chopped)

1 teaspoon Italian parsley (chopped)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil over medium heat, and add the onion and carrots and cook until soft or about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for additional 1 or 2 minutes. Add ¼ cup of red wine and cook until the liquid is almost gone, or about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and add the tomatoes, herbs, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and blend the ingredients with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the tomato paste, ¼ cup of red wine , and cook an additional 15 minutes and remove from the heat. Use as desired.