Entrees » Jean's Irresistible Meat Lasagna
Print RecipeIngredients
- 8 oz (½ lb) lasagna noodles
Sauce
- 1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes
- 2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- ⅛ cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
Meat Mixture
- 1 lb lean ground beef (93% lean preferred)
- ½ lb sausage links (Jean uses ½ sweet Italian sausage & ½ spicy Italian sausage), casings removed
- 2 tbsp chopped onions
- 2 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 egg, lightly-beaten
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
Cheeses
- ¼ lb ricotta cheese
- ½ lb mozzarella
- ½ lb provolone
- ½ cup Parmesan, grated
Special Equipment
- food processor
- 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish
- baking sheet
How-to
Cook Noodles
- Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions, set aside (a splash of olive oil will prevent noodles from sticking together)
Make Sauce
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a large pot and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, while preparing the meat mixture
Prepare Meat Mixture
- Combine and mix all meat ingredients and then brown 5-10 minutes over medium to high heat. After it's all browned, let cool slightly, pour off any excess liquid fat
- Transfer mixture to food processor and pulse briefly. Transfer back into sauce pan, and stir to combine
Assemble Layers & Bake
- Preheat oven to 350º
- Combine mozzarella, provolone and Parmesan cheeses in a bowl and set aside
- Grease (with nonstick cooking spray) a 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish. Place one layer of drained cooked noodles on bottom of pan, spoon sauce/meat mixture on top of the noodles, then spoon small dabs of ricotta cheese on the sauce and sprinkle with some of the cheese mixture
- Repeat layers until you have 4 of each. Place pan on sheet tray to catch any potential spillover. Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes
- When done, remove from oven and let it set for 5-10 minutes before serving
Jean Balch
Jean Balch grew up in Michigan, watching her mother can bountiful local produce and bake fabulous fruit pies. Today she lives with her husband in Waltham, MA, and loves making home-cooked meals in her spare time. In fact, how2heroes found Jean when we put out a Twitter message about a lasagna segment that we were filming. Jean's husband Ken tweeted that his wife's lasagna was so good that he "couldn't even order lasagna out anymore." how2heroes knew we had to book Jean for a segment to capture the secrets to her lasagna.
Jean Balch's husband Ken boasts his wife's lasagna is so good that he "can't order lasagna out at restaurants anymore." A mixture of sausage and ground beef is combined with an herbed tomato sauce. This is layered between lasagna noodles and 4 cheeses - Parmesan, provolone, mozzarella and ricotta. One bite of Jean's lasagna will lower your inhibitions to resist just one more piece.
Jean Balch
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