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Recipe: Classic Italian Lasagna
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Cook the Meat: In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until browned. Drain excess fat.
- Prepare the Sauce: Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Cook the Noodles: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water.
- Prepare Cheese Mixture: In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and ¾ teaspoon salt.
- Assemble Lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). To assemble, spread 1 ½ cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch 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 1 ½ cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with ¼ 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.
- Bake: Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
