April Showers Bring Meaty Lasagna

Yesterday, I decided to indulge in some of my lasagna cooking. I'm not Italian by any means, but I've learned from others the best pasta sauce is homemade. Every month I'll make a batch of sauce that I will then refrigerate and/or freeze to use for the remainder of the month. Here is my sauce recipe from this past adventure:
Please note, I try to buy organic as possible & as I've noted previously, I eyeball all my recipes - there is no such thing as perfection in my cooking.

*One Package Sausage (I used hot sausage - and it came with ~8 three inch sausages)
*1-2 Pounds of Ground Beef
*6 Medium Sized Carrots
*1 Celery Heart
*1 Whole Zucchini
*1/2 a batch of mushrooms (you can choose which kind you prefer - approximately 6 mushrooms total)
*1 medium sized onion
*2 tablespoons minced garlic
*Parsley
*Two Large Cans of Whole Peeled Tomatoes (I get Cento usually, but always the kind without any flavoring already - so no bay leaves - its my personal choice)
*Two Small or One Large Can of Tomato Paste
*Salt
*Pepper

Poke a hole in the sausage. Place the sausage in a pan and add a bit of water (just enough to cover half-3/4 of the sausage). Turn the heat up, and cook them. Turning occasionally. Should take 7-10 minutes. You will be able to know when they are done. When they are cooked - take out a cutting board, and cut them into thick pieces. Place to the side. Keep the juice/water from the pan!

Take the ground beef & if frozen, defrost. Place it in a pan and begin to cook it. Make sure to break it apart often so the beef is separate. Once cooked, place off to the side.

Cut up all the vegetables - celery, carrots, onion, garlic (if you choose to use fresh garlic), parsley (if you choose to use fresh parsley), zucchini, mushrooms. Cut as you desire - but make sure none are too thick or large of pieces. Put them in a pot and add some olive oil and some of the leftover water/juice from the sausage. Cook on medium heat until the smell begins to perforate the room. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Open up your cans of tomatoes. Release some of the juices into your sink (I do not like a soggy sauce). Go through the tomatoes and take out the heart, otherwise as you are eating your sauce you will bite into hard bits of the tomato pieces. Break apart lightly with your hands.

Take a slotted spoon and spoon the vegetables into pan your tomatoes are in. We want to keep the juices to a minimum. When you have all the vegetables in with the tomatoes - stir them up and mix in the ground beef & sausage. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, two basil leaves, and you are all set. Let simmer on low heat for approximately 3+ hours stirring occasionally.

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Yesterday after I made the sauce, I created lasagna with it. My father knows the owners of Biazzo Dairy Products (out of Ridgefield, NJ), so we use their dairy products.

First things first, create your Ricotta Cheese layer - Mix 16 ounces of Ricotta cheese with 1 egg, salt, pepper, and parsley. Mix in some soft cream cheese to make sure you have a creamy layer.



Second, get your pan ready - pick a pan - it can be any size. I tend to use a larger size pan so there's leftovers that will last all week.

Now to the layers:
*Pasta Sauce
*Lasagna Noodles (I use pre-cooked, but up to you as to how you want to do it)
*Cheese Layer
*Slices of Mozzarella Cheese

Continue this from Pasta Sauce - Mozzarella Layers until you have reached the top of your pan. Then add more Mozzarella Cheese on top and top with grated cheese.

Cover with tin foil & stick it in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Take the foil off & cook for additional 15 minutes.

Let cool for 15 minutes, then serve!