World's Best Lasagna

Submitted by dojemi

"This recipe may take a bit more time and have more ingredients that other lasagna recipes but it's all worth it when you taste end result. Courtesy of John Chandler."

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photo by Anonymous

Ready In:: 2hrs 30mins
Ingredients:: 21
Serves:: 12

ingredients

1 lb sweet Italian sausage
³⁄₄ lb lean ground beef
¹⁄₂ cup minced onion
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6 1/2 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
¹⁄₂ cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons dried basil leaves
¹⁄₂ teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
³⁄₄ lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
³⁄₄ cup grated parmesan cheese

directions

In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water.
Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley.
Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes.
Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 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 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 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 in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Questions & Replies

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Reviews

Excellent!!! A dish I would be proud to serve to anyone.A real hit with the family. I followed the recipe and made no changes. . thanks for sharing this great recipe

Dotty2
FABULOUS! I finally found a tasty, easy and foolproof lasagna recipe. It's taken me 14 years of marriage to finally pull it off. All I needed was a great recipe. I halved the recipe in a 8x8 baking dish (prepped w/ olive oil) . I'll admit, I cheated. My kids don't like chunks of tomato so I used a gourmet sauce and jazzed it up. I browned (hot Italian sausage) the meats w/ onion and garlic, added the sauce and water. (made sure the liquid amounts were the same). I also added Italian seasoning, fresh basil, parsley, fresh mozzarella. Whipped up an egg white and added it to the ricotta for a lighter texture. I used no-boil sheets and it worked out great. After assembling, I let it sit for about 90 minutes before baking. Baked as directed. I can't tell you how happy I am. SUCCESS! Thanks Dojemi!

Chicagoland Chef du Jour
For my taste, I did love this lasagna. The sauce was too salty and the cheese was somewhat grainy and did not have the creaminess I prefer. I know this is a popular recipe, but is just not the one for me.

Sassy J
This is by far the best lasagna recipe I have found. It is easy to make and has a lot of flavor. The biggest problem I had was keeping the family out of the pot while the ingredients were cooking. It filled the house with a mouth watering aroma and everybody wanted a taste or two or three etc.

samuel
My go-to lasagna for special occasions! Today, I added a layer of prosciutto at my boyfriend's request. Amazing!!

Karen L.