LASAGNA (AND THE SECRET!)

Lasagna (and the Secret!) image

I always just used regular ol' ground beef in my Lasagna. My husband told me the secret to great Lasagna .... Meatballs! Yep, use that ground beef, season it and make several large meatballs. Bake them well done, then crumble them (with some sausage) in the Lasagna. Makes all the difference.

Provided by Lauren Conforti @Hutt5asl

Categories Beef

Number Of Ingredients 11

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Ingredients

1 pound(s) ground beef
2 tablespoon(s) adobo seasoning (or garlic powder)
1 tablespoon(s) oregano
1 tablespoon(s) basil
1/2 pound(s) sweet italian sausage
12 ounce(s) box lasagna noodles
1 - batch "my spaghetti sauce" (meatless)
16 ounce(s) ricotta cheese
4 cup(s) mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4 cup(s) cheddar cheese, shredded
- parmesan cheese

Steps:

** Ground beef & sausage can be cooked ahead of time and refrigerated.
You should already have a batch of "Conforti Family Red Gravy" (see recipe) ready to go.
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix the ground beef with the seasonings in a large bowl. Mix well and form into 5-6 large meatballs.
Place meatballs on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake about 30-40 minutes, or until browned and well done. Set aside to cool.
In a fry pan, brown the crumbled sausage. Drain well. Set aside.
Turn oven temperature up to 400.
Cook the box of Lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain & rinse well with cool water. (If using no-boil noodles, you can omit this step.)
In a large bowl, crumble the meatballs and mix with the crumbled sausage.
In your Lasagna pan, spoon some sauce to just cover the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of noodles.
Then, add 1/3 of the ground beef/sausage mixture
Spoon some Ricotta cheese over the meat and, using the spoon spread it around.
Add a layer of Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle some Parmesan.
Repeat the layers two more times (sauce, noodles, meat, cheeses) to total 3 layers.
** Be sure to cover the noodles with the sauce so that the edges are not showing, to keep them from drying out)
Top with a final layer of noodles, the last of the sauce, some Mozzarella & the cheddar.
Cover with some aluminum foil (sprayed with non-stick spray) or "tent" the foil with toothpicks to keep it from sticking to the cheeses. Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil & bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is golden browned.