Oh my gosh! This is the best lasagna! I made it last night, so I could freeze most of it to have when my Son and his partner come to visit next week! This is the recipe I used, but I "tweak" it somewhat! Instead of using the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, I use a 24 oz. jar of Tomato Basil Sauce [of your choice] and for the tomato sauce, I always use the "El Pato Mexican Hot Style"! It just adds the perfect amount of "kick"!
I also use "brown sugar" instead of white sugar. And for the pasta, I use Mueller's and I only use 8 noodles...the recipe calls for 12, but that's too much for me. Of course, once you make it, you can decide how thick you want your pasta layers.
I also stir some fresh chopped basil into the ricotta cheese, along with the parsley and egg
And for the Mozzarella cheese, I like using shredded...it seems to get everything covered better! I also find using very lean ground beef works better...not as much grease, especially since the Italian sausage has some good fat it in!
And one last tip! Before you drain your pasta noodles, toss about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the pasta water into the meat sauce...the starch from the pasta water will thicken up your sauce good and keep it nice and firm when you start making your layers! Last, but not least, ENJOY!!! It's so good!!
Of course, like most pasta dishes, this is even better the 2nd time around!
love and peace always ~ Kathy
"People who love to eat are always the best people" ~ Julia Child
