Lasagna With Three Cheeses and Italian Sausage

Lasagna con Tre Formaggi e Salsiccia Courtesy of www.cookiesfromitaly.com

• Ready In: 2 hrs 25 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• For the sauce

• 1  tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 3⁄4 cup  finely chopped peeled carrot
• 2  tablespoons  minced garlic
• 8  ounces lean ground beef
• 6  ounces  hot Italian sausages, casings removed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree
• 1⁄4 cup tomato paste
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped fresh basil
• 1  tablespoon golden brown sugar
• 1  tablespoon dried oregano
• 1  bay leaf
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper

• For the lasagna

• 15  lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)
• 2 (15 ounce) containers part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1  cup  grated parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
• 2  large eggs
• 1 1⁄4 lbs  grated mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Prepare the sauce:
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and garlic; saute until softened, about 12 minutes.
3. Add beef and sausages to pan; saute until cooked through, breaking up meat with a spoon, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until flavors blend and sauce measures about 5 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Let cool.
5. Prepare the lasagna:
6. Preheat oven to 350° F. Cook the pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Drain; cover with cold water.
7. Combine ricotta and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese in a medium bowl. Mix in spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs.
8. Drain pasta and pat dry.
9. Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish.
10. Place 5 noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit.
11. Spread half of ricotta-spinach mixture evenly over noodles.
12. Sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta-spinach mixture.
13. Spoon 1 and 1/2 cups sauce over cheese, spreading with spatula to cover (sauce will be thick).
14. Repeat layering with 5 noodles, remaining ricotta-spinach mixture, 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1 and 1/2 cups sauce.
15. Arrange remaining 5 noodles over sauce. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese evenly over lasagna.
16. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.)
17. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake lasagna for 40 minutes; uncover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Let lasagna stand 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8.
18. That's it!