Bird's Italian Style Lasagna

With lasagne, good preparation is the key. So I've included very detailed and simple-to-follow instructions. A good sized, deep pan is needed for this recipe, or you can make 2 pans. Serve with a baguette and some red wine for a great evening. This is OAMC friendly also. Please also try my Bird's Pizza Style Lasagna. :)

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Beef mixture

• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 lbs ground beef
• 2  garlic cloves, chopped
• 2  tablespoons  italian seasoning
• 2 (24 ounce) jars  spaghetti sauce (Barrilla classico)

• Italian Cheese mixture

• 2  lbs whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1  cup  grated parmesan cheese
• 1  large egg, beaten
• 1  tablespoon dried parsley flakes

• Other ingredients needed

• 1 (1 lb) box  lasagna noodle (Barrilla)
• 1 (24 ounce) jar  spaghetti sauce (Barrilla classico)
• 16  ounces  shredded mozzarella cheese (I use fresh and thin slice it)
• 1⁄2 cup  grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. MEAT MIXTURE: To a large skillet, add all meat ingredients except sauce. cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
2. Place the 2 jars of spaghetti sauce in a large food processor. When meat is done, strain in a collander, then put in the food processor with the sauce. Blend for 30 seconds or so. Place meat mixture in a bowl and set aside. Processing the meat helps to keep layers thin and flavorful.
3. CHEESE MIXTURE: Mix all cheese ingredients and set aside.
4. NOODLES: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Place lasagna noodles, one at a time, carefully into the boiling water. Stir gently with a wooden spoon until all noodles have softened to the bending stage. Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes until they are cooked through.
5. Place a large collander in the sink and gently drain the noodles. Run cold tap water over noodles, or dunk collander into a larger bowl that has cold water in it. (you want to cool all the noodles and stop the cooking process and keep them from sticking).
6. ASSEMBLY: Lay out a few layers of paper towels onto your workspace that are long enough to place a few sheets of noodles on (about two rows of towels). Place 2-3 noodles onto the paper towels, then lay another couple of sheets of paper towels and blot the noodles dry. This keeps your lasagne from having a pool of liquid at the bottom.
7. To a 9x13x3" (or larger) pan, spread 1/2 jar of sauce in the bottom and set aside. Place noodles into the pan in a single layer, overlapping the curly ends if necessary, and cutting any noodles to fit if necessary.
8. Spread 1/3 of the meat mixture evenly onto the noodles. you can use your fingers or the back of a spoon. Take 1/3 of the cheese mixture and crumble over the meat mixture in small dots. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the mozerella cheese.
9. Repeat layers of noodles, meat, cheese mixture, mozerella two times, then end with a last layer of noodles. Spread remaining 1/2 jar of sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. (at this point, you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until needed. If freezing, thaw at room temperature a few hours before baking).
10. Preheat oven to 350°F Bake lasagna fresh for 45 minutes (60-75 minutes if refrigerated, and 75-90 minutes if thawed) or until bubbly and cooked through. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Lasagnes are so good the next day!
11. TO FREEZE FOR OAMC: A simple way to freeze this for multiple dinners (prior to cooking) is to chill it for at least 24 hrs in the refrigerator. Then place plastic wrap over the top of the lasagna and then place a large cutting board over that and carefully flip over onto the counter and remove the pan.
12. Using a sharp butcher knife, slice it down the center longways. then slice the from the short sides into however many servings you like (1x for 4 dinners, 2x for 6 dinners, etc.). Then simply wrap each dinner-serving size well with plastic wrap and then foil for an airtight seal.
13. When your wanting to serve it for dinner, simply take it from the freezer the day before, thaw in the fridge overnight, then unwrap it, re-wrap it in foil only with a little more sauce and bake.