Best Meat Lasagna Ever Chop Happy Recipes

ULTIMATE MEAT LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large pot, brown the beef in one large piece until it is browned on the bottom, 2-3 minutes, breaking apart the beef into slightly larger chunks.
• Cook until the beef is browned and add in the basil, oregano, 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, crushed red pepper flakes and fennel seeds.
• Stir until you start to smell the fennel seeds starting to toast then drain the fat and add in the marinara sauce.
• In your ricotta container, if you have space, add the egg and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and mix well.
• Add your no boil noodles to the meat sauce (you are not looking to cook them, just coat them in the sauce to ensure they don't get dry in the oven).
• Put 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan (use one with straight sides for easy assembly and for added height. If you are using a glass baking pan with curved sides it may not be large enough to fit this quantity of food).
• Add the dried no boil noodles in an even layer, for this pan it was 5 noodles per layer, four across and one broken in half lengthwise to go down the side of the pan.
• Add 1/3 the provolone slices, another 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce, 1/4 of the mozzarella, 1/4 of the parmesan and 1/3 of the ricotta in spoonfuls dotting across the pan.
• Repeat with the same noodle/cheese/meat sauce process.
• Finally, add a top layer of lasagna noodles and cover with remaining Parmesan and mozzarella. Cover with foil.
• Bake for 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake for an additional ten minutes to brown the cheese.
• Let cool for 20-25 minutes before serving.
• Garnish with parsley.

WORLD'S BEST LASAGNA

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

BEST-EVER LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a large skillet, brown beef and sausage together over medium heat until crumbly and no longer pink. Drain well.
• To meat, add tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, sugar, Italian seasoning, capers, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; simmer uncovered for one hour, stirring occasionally.
• In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add parsley. Fold in cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese. Refrigerate until sauce is done.
• Spray the bottom of a 9"x13" pan with non-stick spray. Spread about 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the pan.
• Place 1/3 of the noodles on top of the meat sauce, overlapping as needed to cover all the sauce.
• On top of the noodles, layer the provolone cheese slices, 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture and about 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
• Place another 1/3 of the noodles on top.
• Layer approximately 2 cups meat sauce, the remaining cottage cheese mixture and 1-2 cups mozzarella cheese.
• Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella.
• If desired, garnish with black olives and green onions scattered on top.
• Cover and bake for 50 minutes.
• Uncover, bake 10-20 minutes longer, just until the cheese reaches a golden doneness.
• Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
• Leftovers freeze well.

LASAGNA WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Meat Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Add beef, sausage, onion, carrots, celery, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up meat into bite-size pieces, until vegetables soften and meat has browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and red-pepper flakes; cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook 2 minutes more. Puree tomatoes in a blender or food processor; add to pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened slightly but still very loose, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Cheese Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together ricotta, milk, eggs, 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2 1/2 cups mozzarella, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Assembly: Spread 2 cups meat sauce evenly in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, preferably ceramic or enameled cast iron. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce (space noodles evenly; they will expand as the lasagna cooks). Spread 2 cups cheese mixture over noodles; top with 3 more noodles. Repeat layering of meat and cheese mixtures between noodles twice more. Spread 2 cups meat sauce evenly over top layer of noodles. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano. Loosely cover with parchment-lined foil and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake until noodles are tender but still al dente (easily pierced with the tip of a knife), 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover; continue baking until bubbly and puffed slightly along edges and golden brown in places on top, 20 to 25 minutes more. (There may appear to be a lot of liquid in the dish. It will be absorbed as the lasagna cools.) Transfer dish to a wire rack and let cool slightly and set, about 20 minutes; cut into squares to serve.