Simply Traditional Lasagna

I remember the first time I used the boil free lasagna noodles.  To say I had my doubts about them working would have been an understatement.  It just didn't seem right.  I fully expected to pull my lasagna out of the oven, cutting into it and hearing crunching.  It was such a pleasant surprise to cut into my beautiful lasagna and it was just as it was supposed to be; the noodles were tender and the cheese/meat/sauce mixture was flavorful!

I still get the tiniest bit nervous when I break out the no boil noodles but they haven't failed me yet.  This is a different version of lasagna.  I've never made it with Italian sausage before.

1lb. ground beef
1lb. bulk Italian sausage
1/2 C. warm water
1 C. sliced black olives
1 pinch basil
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. dried sage
2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. dried onion flakes
2 14oz. jars marinara sauce (or use your own recipe)
1 16oz. pkg. lasagna noodles
8oz. ricotta cheese (I would probably double this but then again I LOVE cheese!)
1lb. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Drain excess grease.  Stir in the water and black olives, and season with basil, garlic powder, oregano, sage, pepper, minced garlic, and onion flakes.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in the marinara sauce, and remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place a layer of the meat and sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.  Cover with a layer of dry noodles.  Spread with a thin layer of ricotta cheese over the noodles and sprinkle with a little mozzarella cheese.  Cover with another layer of sauce, repeat layering ending with the meat and sauce on top.  Reserve about 1/2 C. mozzarella cheese for later.

Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven, but check after 30 minutes depending on how thick the lasagna is.  Lasagna is cooked when you can easily stick a knife into it.  Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top and return it to the oven for about 10 minutes for a nice melted cheese topping.