Absolute Best Ever Lasagna

Absolute Best Ever Lasagna

Ingredients :

1 1⁄2 lbs lean ground beef

1⁄2 lb Italian sausage

1 large onion, chopped

2 -3 garlic cloves, minced

1 1⁄2-2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper (or to taste)

1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped (or canned chopped tomatoes)

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste

24 ounces cottage cheese or 24 ounces ricotta cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1⁄2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons parsley

1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 lb mozzarella cheese, divided

12 -15 lasagna noodles

Directions :

Brown ground beef, Italian sausage, onion and garlic.

Add salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, basil, chopped tomatoes with juice, and tomato paste; stirring until well mixed.

Cover and simmer 1 hour (or longer,but watch for getting too dry).

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Spray a 13 x 9" baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine cottage cheese, eggs, pepper, 2 tablespoons parsley, Parmesan cheese and 1/2 1lb of mozzarella cheese; In a lasagna pan, layer noodles, meat sauce, and cheese mixture; repeat.

Top off with layer of noodles; sprinkle evenly with remaining mozzarella cheese; make sure to cover noodles completely.

Bake at 375F for 40-60 minutes, or until cheese mixture is thoroughly melted. (I cover w/ foil for about 40 minutes, then uncover for 15-20 minutes.

Let sit for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving.