Lasagna

This is a lot of work, but the results are worth it. If you want to do something special for someone, get some really good ingredients and make them this lasagna. Be prepared to do it again if you start.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 to 2 lb Italian sausage
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 medium white onion, chopped
  • 2 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 5 to 6 teaspoons minced garlic to taste
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained or 3 medium fresh tomatoes diced
  • 1 can tomato sauce
  • 1 small can tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons oregano, fresh oregano if possible
  • 1 teaspoon basil, fresh basil if possible
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary, fresh rosemary if possible
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, fresh parsley if possible
  • 1 pinch sugar
  • 1 pinch rubbed sage
  • 3 basil leaves
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 tub small curd cottage cheese
  • 1 tub whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup fresh shredded asiago cheese, fresh hand grated if possible
  • 1 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese, fresh hand grated if possible
  • 1 (4 cup) bag shredded mozzarella cheese, fresh hand grated mozzarella balls if possible
  • 1 box lasagna noodles

Instructions

  1. Saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic with butter until onion just starts to turn clear. Remove vegetables from heat and set aside.
  2. Brown Italian sausage with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Break up the Italian sausage as it browns to avoid large chunks. Drain the Italian sausage.
  3. Reduce heat to medium-low and return Italian sausage to the skillet along with the vegetables. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Mix well and warm for a few minutes until the mixture begins to bubble.
  4. Add oregano, basil, rosemary, sugar, rubbed sage, parsley, bay leaves, salt, and cracked black pepper.
  5. Mix well, reduce heat, and simmer covered for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Longer is better. Stir occasionally to avoid any scorching.
  6. Add salt and 2 tablespoons olive oil to large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add 9 to 12 lasagna noodles to water and boil until just past al dente. Drain noodles and set aside.
  7. Mix cottage cheese and ricotta cheese in a bowl. Mix asiago and parmesan cheese in separate bowl.
  8. Place a layer of noodles in the lasagna dish. Remove bay leaves from the meat sauce. Spoon a thin layer of meat sauce over the noodles.
  9. Using 2 spoons carefully spread a thin layer of cottage and ricotta cheeses over meat sauce. Sprinkle a thin layer of asiago and parmesan cheese over the cottage and ricotta cheese layer.
  10. Repeat steps 8 and 9 until the pan is full or you have used up all ingredients for a layer. Optimally you’ll have made each layer the proper thickness so that all ingredients run out at the top layer. Make sure that the last layer is meat sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
  11. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes or until mozzarella layer is completely melted with spots of golden brown but not scorched.
  12. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Cut and serve.