Lasagna

Since I begged Jessie to create a new recipe blog I decided that I should contribute...but MOST of the things I cook come from Jessie's cooking blog :). So I won't have a lot of contributions here but I did realize that I get asked to make this lasagna recipe a lot from my mom and my sister in law Liese.

16 oz Spicy Italian Sausage (you can use plain Italian if you don't like spice)

1 cup chopped onion

3 gloves minced garlic

14 1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes (undrained)

2 - 8 oz cans of tomato sauce

1 TBSP dried Italian seasoning

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp black pepper

1-2 cups ready made pasta sauce of choice (ex Ragu)

1/2 box dried lasagna noodles

1 beaten egg

15 oz of ricotta cheese

1 TBSP parsley

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

4 cups of mozzarella cheese (or more :))

For the sauce:

In a large pan, cook sausage, onion and garlic until the meat is fully cooked. Drain the fat. Stir in the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, pepper, tomato sauce and prepared sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook covered for at least 15 minutes (stirring occasionally)

For the noodles:

Prepare the noodles per the instructions on the package. Drain well.

For the filling:

Combine the egg, ricotta, Parmesan cheese and parsley.

To assemble, spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Then layer 1/2 of the noodles, then 1/2 the filling, 1/2 of the remaining sauce and top with 2 cups of mozzarella. Repeat those layers again.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving :).