Two Meat Four Cheese Lasagna

Earlier this summer, my mother in law got a taste for lasagna.  I don't think I have followed a recipe for lasagna ever but here is a close facsimile to what I made.  I have made lasagna with jarred sauce, my own homemade sauce and sauce made from both some jar and homemade.  When you make your sauce, make what YOU like.  Unless your taste buds are on vacation, it should be just fine.

I always start with my sauce...that way it can simmer while you put the rest of the dish together.  This time I made my sauce with both ground beef and some bulk Italian sausage.  I browned both together in a skillet before adding them to a sauce.  I also added some sugar to cut the acid along with some Parmesan cheese.  It was July so I cut some fresh basil, oregano and Italian parsley and minced them all before adding them to the sauce.  Now you might say, "Kath, there are no measurements here."  You're right, I don't usually measure and I almost always have too much.  I just freeze the leftover sauce and use it the next time I make pasta or pizza.  I will say I used a little over a pound of ground beef and a little over a half pound of sausage.

This is what the pot looked like while simmering.

I used no boil noodles...best invention EVER!!

I used whole milk ricotta cheese...I don't mess around with skim; go big or go home.  This isn't meant to be a WW friendly meal.  In a big bowl, mix 5ish pounds of ricotta (I made 2 9x13 inch pans of lasagna)  a cup or so of Parmesan, a cup of mozzarella, and a half cup of shredded provolone, 2 eggs, some fresh parsley and 2 pinches of cinnamon (trust me here).

Lay out your pans, then layer; sauce, noodles, cheese, sauce, noodles, cheese until you approach the lip of the pan.  Top with shredded mozzarella.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the cheese turns golden brown.