Lasagna

I love to make lasagna. I have perfected my recipe over the years. I currently use a modified version of The Pioneer Woman's spaghetti sauce recipe with a modified version of Blazy's Pepperoni-Studded Lasagna. It is sheer perfection, to pat myself on the back.

Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 pounds ground sweet Italian sausage
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 pack baby portobello mushrooms, diced
• 1/2 cup radishes, diced
• 1/2 cup zucchini, shredded
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup white wine
• 3 large cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 can Hunt's spaghetti sauce- I go cheap and haven't tasted a big difference between Hunt's or a $6 jar of sauce.
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• handful of fresh basil leaves (from my herb garden), chopped
• 4 whole bay leaves
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• handful of fresh spinach, chopped

Directions

• Brown the meats in a large stock pot over medium heat. Drain and set aside. Do not clean pot.
• In the same pot, sauté fresh vegetables*. Cook until onion is translucent.
• Pour in the wine and bring to a small boil. 
• Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and spaghetti sauce. Add in oregano, thyme, basil, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and red pepper. 
• Return meat to pot and let simmer for a couple of hours. Remove lid, add spinach, and let simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Remove bay leaves.
• Set aside what you need for the lasagna and portion the remainder into containers and freeze until later. Now you have a quick and easy weeknight meal in a rush!

*This is the recipe how I made it this time. No two sauces ever come out the same. I add in whatever vegetables I have on hand. Sometimes it is as simple as peppers and onions. Other times I go all out and add in 6 or more varieties of fresh vegetables.

Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound no-cook lasagna noodles**
• 1 package pre-sliced pepperoni
• 4 cups pasta sauce
• 1 pound ricotta
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella
• 3/4 grated parmesan

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375º.
• Spray 2 square foil baking dishes with nonstick cooking spray. Cover bottom and sides of pans with pasta sauce.
• Layer lasagna, ricotta, mozzarella, pepperoni, parmesan, and sauce. Repeat two more times. On the top layer, add sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, and parmesan. 
• Cover one pan with foil and freeze for later use and place the other in the oven for 45 minutes. If cooking from frozen, add an additional 20 minutes to cook time. 
• Let sit for 15 minutes before serving. 

**I know some people have a problem with the no-cook noodles getting too crispy. I have found that if I cover all the noodles with a sufficient amount of sauce, they come out nice and smooth. If you would prefer, you can get regular noodles and cook according to package directions. I just hate dealing with slippery noodles.