The Most Amazing Lasagna

Tomato-meat sauce

1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Medium onion, chopped fine
6 Medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 Pound meat loaf mix or 1/3 pound each ground beef chuck, ground veal, and ground pork
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 28 oz can pureed tomatoes
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained

Ricotta, mozzerella, and pasta layers

15 ounces whole-milk or part-skim ricotta cheese (1 3/4 cups)
2 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
12 no boil lasagna noodles
1 pound whole-milk mozzerella cheese (shredded 4 cups)

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant about 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and add the ground meat, salt, and pepper; cook, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon until the meat loses it's raw color but has not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and only the fat remains, about 4 minutes. Add the pureed and drained diced tomatoes and bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly until flavors are blended, about 3 minutes; set the sauce aside.

2. Mix the ricotta, 1 cup parmesan, the basil, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl with a fork until well combined.

3. Smear the entire bottom of a 13 inch by 9-inch baking dish with 1/4 cup of the meat sauce. Place a layer of noodles to create the first layer. Drop 3 tbls of the ricotta mixture down the center of each noodle and level the domed mounds by pressing with the back side of a spoon. Sprinkle the layer evenly with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Spoon 1 /2 cups of the meat sauce evenly over the cheese. Repeat the layering of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce two more times. Place the remaining noodles on top of the sauce, spread the remaining sauce over the noodles, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella, then with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover the pan loosely with foil.

4. Bake 15 minutes then remove the foil and bake for another 25 minutes until cheese is spotty brown and the sauce is bubbling. Cool the lasagna about 10 minutes and serve.

My hubby loves this and has said, "Babe, I think we should make lasagna a weekly thing."

KSW