Lisa's Awesome Lasagna (That's Right..Awesome)
By: Lisa Myers
Published: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 - 3:18pm

Ingredients




(This lasagna IS pretty awesome...it landed me a spot in the running to get on a cooking show, and I got pretty far into the pro
Sauce
1 package ground Italian Sausage (sweet or spicy, your choice)
1 cup chopped sweet yellow onion
10 large cloves of fresh garlic- minced or finely chopped (I love my garlic)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
29 oz can tomato sauce
12 oz can tomato paste
1 red bell pepper, chopped well (small pieces)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano+ another tsp of oregano set aside
1 teaspoon Basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (ground works, but fresh= better)
1 tablespoon sugar or splenda
1 teaspoon ground red pepper flakes (optional)
Cheeses
5 cups of grated mozzarella (your preference)- OR- 3 or 4 balls of fresh mozzarella fro
2 cups of grated parmesan cheese, fresh or bagged in your cheese section (not the dry p
1 32 oz tub of Ricotta cheese (not skim...no point skimping on lasagna)
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
Noodles
1 package uncooked lasagna noodles, fresh is better, but dried is just fine

Preparation

1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees 2 Prepare your lasagna pan by buttering the inside - you can use non-stick spray if you like. 3 In a large skillet, brown your Italian sausage. 4 Add chopped onions and garlic, and saute with browned meat until onions are transparent 5 If your skillet is large enough, add the remaining ingredients for the sauce - if it’s not, transfer to a large pot and go from there. 6 Stir everything well so sauces, meats, herbs & spices are blended well. 7 If it seems a little thick, add a half cup of water - some paste is just thicker than others. You want a little fluidity to your sauce. 8 Simmer for at least 30 - 45 minutes, stirring occasionally so there isn’t anything sticking to the bottom of the pan. 9 Once you’ve decided your sauce is done simmering (taste it and decide for yourself), it’s time to assemble the lasagna. 10 Take enough sauce to just barely cover the bottom of your lasagna pan. 11 Place enough lasagna noodles on top of sauce to cover sauce, noodles barely overlapping at edges. 12 Pour enough sauce over the noodles to cover again....this time more generously. 13 Take your ricotta cheese, and mix the nutmeg into it before you continue. 14 Then dollop the ricotta cheese mixture onto the first layer in table spoon sized drops an inch or so apart, here and there so that it’s a pretty even pattern over the sauce, using about half. 15 Spread the grated mozzerella cheese over the top of that, using just less than half, covering the sauce. 16 If you are using fresh mozzarella, layer the slices generously over the sauce and ricotta, using about half) 17 Sprinkle a little parmesan over that, about ⅓ of it. 18 Then, place another layer of lasagna noodles over the sauce and cheese layers. 19 Cover generously with sauce again, using all but about the same portion you used on bottom of the pan. 20 Repeat cheese layering, but use remainder of ricotta, and all but a handful or 2 of the mozerella and parmesan - save that for last. 21 For your final layer, do the noodle layer again... 22 But for this last layer, I take a little less sauce, though enough to cover the noodles (very important). 23 I lightly scatter the remaining mozzerella and parmesan cheeses on top, and then sprinkle that reserved tsp of oregano for color. 24 Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. 25 After 45 minutes, remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes. 26 Then EAT IT! 27 NOTE: When using the uncooked noodles, it’s important to have that first and last layer of liquid - in this case, the sauce - to make sure that the noodles are hydrated and soften well. 28 You are more than welcome to cook the noodles first, but they’re a pain to deal with, they always stick together and/or tear, and there’s really no point - the sauce will cook them for you.