The Best Homemade Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound salsiccia (ground Italian sausage)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 stems of each: fresh Italian parsley and oregano *see notes
• 2 stems of each: fresh rosemary and basil *see notes
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can San Marzano Tomatoes
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 15-18 lasagna noodles *see notes
• 32 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 pound thinly sliced mozzarella (I try to get 24 slices) or 3-4 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 ½ cups grated Paremesan

Instructions

1. Cook the Meat: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef, sausage, garlic salt, and pepper until the meat is well browned. Remove from heat, drain most of the fat, and set the pan aside.
2. Make the Sauce: Add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add fresh herbs and cook 5 minutes until crisp. Remove herbs and discard them. Add garlic to the oil, then crush tomatoes with your hands and add to the pot along with tomato sauce. Season the sauce with kosher salt, ground pepper, and crushed red pepper. Add the cooked meat to the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. For Noodles: Meanwhile, place lasagna noodles in a large dish. Pour hot tap water over the noodles making sure the pasta is completely covered. Allow the noodles to soak for 30 minutes while the sauce simmers, then drain and discard water.
4. Ricotta Mixture: In a medium mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese with the egg, salt, and nutmeg. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the lasagna.
5. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a deep lasagna pan with cooking spray
6. To Assemble: Layer as follows (from bottom to top) spread 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of prepared baking dish / arrange 6 noodles overlapping / spread 1/3 ricotta mixture over noodles / top with 6 slices of mozzarella / 2 cups of meat sauce / 1/3 of the parmesan / 6 noodles (overlapping) / 1/3 ricotta mixture / 6 slices of mozzarella / 2 cups of meat sauce / 1/3 of the parmesan / 6 noodles (overlapping) / remaining ricotta mixture / 6 slices of mozzarella / 2 cups of meat sauce / remaining parmesan / remaining mozzarella. Cover loosely with foil: to prevent sticking spray foil with cooking spray.
7. Bake: Place in preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 20- 25 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.
8. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.