Delicious Baked Lasagna

The Secret's in the Sauce

The basis of a good lasagna casserole is the Marinara sauce. It's important to let the sauce simmer long enough to develop a good flavor while finding the proper balance of spices, type of sausage, meat and other ingredients. The sauce can be used for spaghetti, manicotti, ziti, rotini, rigatoni or even on French bread.

If you watched The Godfather, you saw Clemenza cooking spaghetti for twenty guys. His secret ingredient was a little sugar and a splash of wine while it simmered.

Prepare Ahead of Time, Bake Later

Making lasagna at home can take a little time, but the end result is worth the effort. Usually, I make lasagna to serve on Christmas Eve or on the day before Thanksgiving, since that's when most guests visit our house. The casserole can be made ahead of time, refrigerated, and baked on the day it's to be served, making it the ideal meal for a family gathering.

It can also be frozen for later use; however, I would recommend using a metal baking pan rather than a glass pan when freezing the casserole. It's possible to line the pan completely with aluminum foil so that the foil package can be taken out of the pan to conserve freezer space and free up the use of your baking pan.

Marinara Sauce Ingredients

        • 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon onion, minced, fresh or dried
• 4 cans tomato sauce, 16 ounce
• 1 can tomato paste, 12 ounce
• 1 pound ground sirloin, or ground chuck
• 1 pound mild Italian sausage, ground or links cut up
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions for Making the Sauce

1. Start with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot.
2. Add the garlic and minced onions and cook until they become transparent.
3. Add the ground beef and cook until it's brown. Spoon the cooked beef onto a separate dish and drain off any excess grease.
4. Using the same pan, cook the mild Italian sausage until browned and drain off excess fat.
5. Return the cooked ground beef to the pan.
6. Add the four cans of tomato sauce.
7. Add the tomato paste.
8. Add one or two teaspoons of granulated sugar along with the remaining spices.
9. Cover the mixture and simmer over low heat stirring occasionally for one hour or longer.

While this is simmering, prepare the other ingredients that will be layered in a casserole dish.

Ingredients for the Three Cheese Mixture

1. 1/2 pound (8-ounce) whole milk mozzarella or use pre-shredded mozzarella cheese
2. 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
3. 2 eggs, scrambled
4. 1 (15-ounce) carton of ricotta cheese
5. 1 tablespoon dried parsley (optional)

Instructions for Making the Cheese Mixture

Stir together the ingredients for the three-cheese mixture while the sauce is simmering.
1. Shred the block mozzarella cheese or use ready-prepared shredded cheese.
2. Scramble two eggs in a medium sized bowl.
3. Add the ricotta cheese.
4. Stir in the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
5. Add the parsley if desired.
6. Cover the mixture with cellophane wrap and refrigerate it while you cook the lasagna noodles.

. Fill a large pan with water.
2. Bring to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt.
3. Add the noodles slowly to keep the water boiling.
4. Cook the noodles until tender, following the package directions.
5. To make handling the cooked noodles easier, cook them 3 minutes less than the instructions say.
6. Drain the pan and arrange the noodles on a lightly greased cookie sheet for ease in layering.
If you prefer, you can use ready-to-bake lasagna noodles that don't require boiling before use.

Instructions for Preparing the Casserole

1. Start by spooning a thin layer of sauce into an oven-proof casserole dish. Make sure there's enough sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.
2. Place a layer of noodles across the top of the sauce slightly overlapping the edges.
3. Next, spoon a layer of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Smooth the cheese to evenly cover the noodles.
4. Repeat from step one by putting sauce on top of the noodles and continue to layer the noodles, cheese, and sauce ending with a layer of sauce.

Instructions for Baking the Casserole

1. Cover the casserole with a layer of aluminum foil with small holes poked in the top to allow steam to escape.
2. Place the casserole on a foil-lined cookie sheet to keep the oven clean in case it spills over.
3. Bake the casserole in a 350 degree (f) oven for around 45 to 55 minutes until it starts to bubble all the way through.
4. Remove the casserole from the oven.
5. After baking, remove the dish from the oven and allow the lasagna to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting to serve. Use a serrated knife and a spatula to dish out individual servings.
This dish can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for cooking later.

Before baking, cover the lasagna tightly with a cellophane wrap and refrigerate overnight. Cooking time is slightly longer if the lasagna has been refrigerated.

Leftovers are great warmed up the next day.

Quick Meals in Less Than 20 Minutes

Making a large batch of sauce takes care of several pasta-based meals. Freeze any remaining sauce in family-sized portions, usually about two cups per container. After the sauce cools, ladle it into the containers, remove the excess air and store them in the freezer until needed.

A homemade meal can be prepared as quickly as you can boil the water and cook any type of pasta you like such as spaghetti, rotini, elbows, or shells. Turn the frozen sauce out into a microwave-safe dish and cover the dish with wax paper.

While the pasta is boiling, microwave the sauce one minute at a time, stirring between times until it reaches the temperature desired. Served with a side vegetable or salad and garlic bread and you have an easy, delicious meal.