how2heroes » Jean's Irresistible Meat Lasagna

Entrees » Jean's Irresistible Meat 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.

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Ingredients

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