Lasagna

Lasagna has been a long standing tradition within the Italian Culture. It is simple, easy to make and very filling. It's also great to make for parties, or a leisurely Sunday meal with a large gathering.

Although we attribute Lasagna to Italian origin, it actually has both Roman and Greek historical ties too. The Greek word Laganon which means flat sheet of dough cut into long strips is where the name Lasagna originated from. The Romans borrowed the Greek word and turned it into Lasanum, which means a sort of cooking pot. While Lasagna was originally known as a long pot dish, coupled with the Greek word of Laganon, we now have the Italian version of Lasagna, strips of dough in a long cooking dish.

So let's make some lasagna:

Ingredients:

1 pound sweet Italian sausage

1 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, finely crushed

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoons white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

9 lasagna noodles

16 ounces ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 1/4 lb Feta cheese

1 cup Roman cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Directions: 

Brown sausage and ground beef, set aside. Chop onion, and garlic, set aside. In a large pot stir crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. 

Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes in a large pot. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, and parsley.

.

Now you're ready to assemble, spread 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles lengthwise over sauce. Cover noodles with another layer of sauce. Drop spoon full of ricotta cheese, 4 - 5 drops per noodle lengthwise. Top with sausage, ground beef, cover with portion of remaining cheeses. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and other cheeses.   

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with toss salad and garlic bread.