MEAT BALL LASAGNA

Meat Ball Lasagna image

Provided by Jane Whittaker

Categories Beef

Time 3h45m

Number Of Ingredients 10

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105 oz home made marinara sauce or purchased marinara sauce. my recipe is on file as spaghetti sauce and meatballs.
2 lb ground round
2 Tbsp parmesean cheese, grated
1 large egg
3/4 c italian bread crumbs
1 lb italian bulk sausage
1 1/2 lb shredded mozarella cheese
24 oz ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
enough lasagna noodles to cover your lasagna pan 3 times. my pan is just huge.

Steps:

1. Make meatballs by combining ground round, Parmesan cheese, egg and Italian bread crumbs.
2. Make small meat balls just under one inch around.
3. Line 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil, spray with Pam (no cleanup). Place meat balls in a single layer, go ahead and chunk your sausage in chunks the size of the meat balls, and put them in a single layer too.
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, then put into your marinara sauce.
5. At this point I usually put sauce and meat in my slow cooker, lined with a disposable liner, and cook on low for 8 hours. If you opted for a purchased sauce, put meatballs and sausage in your sauce, and simmer for an hour.
6. Cook lasagna noodles, drain.
7. Mix ricotta and eggs, set aside.
8. Spray lasagna pan with Pam.
9. Put a layer of just sauce in bottom of pan. Cover with layer of lasagna noodles.
10. Put a layer of sauce and meatballs and sausage, put blobs of ricotta mixture randomly, sprinkle a third of mozarella.
11. Repeat layer.
12. Cover with a layer of lasagna noodles, and then sauce.
13. Cover tightly and cook on low 325 degrees for 3 hours.
14. Last 10 minutes, sprinkle remainder of mozarella.
15. When you remove from the oven, allow to set for 15 minutes before you cut into it.
16. One more thing. I always make my sauce and meatballs the day before. Putting hot sauce on hot noodles might result in watery lasagna. Make sure the lasagna noodles are well drained also.