Quick and Easy Lasagna Recipe

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large enameled cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, crumble beef and sausage into pot, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until browned and cooked through.

Remove from heat and drain into a large bowl lined with plenty of paper towels. Pour drained beef and sausage into a food processor and pulse mixture about 10 to 15 seconds until ground into small pieces, set aside.

Return the pot to medium-high heat, add in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

Once the oil is hot, add onion and saute until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes, adding garlic during the last 30 seconds of sauteing.

Add tomato puree, tomato paste, sugar, basil, crushed fennel seeds, oregano, thyme, marjoram, then season with 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Add cooked meat.

Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain pasta and once cool enough to handle, align noodles in a single layer on sheets of wax paper.

In a mixing bowl using a fork, blend together Ricotta cheese, egg and parsley, set aside.

In a separate bowl, toss together Mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano cheese, set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To assemble lasagna, evenly spread 1 cup ground beef pasta sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Align 4 to 5 lasagna noodles over sauce.

Spread ⅓ of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodle layer then sprinkle ¼ of the Mozzarella cheese mixture into an even layer.

Dollop and spread 1½ cups pasta sauce evenly over cheese, then repeat this layering process 2 more times.

Finish top with 1 more layer of 4 – 5 lasagna noodles, then spread ½ cup pasta sauce over top of noodles and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese mixture. Tent baking dish with foil don’t allow foil to touch cheese on top.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, then remove foil and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

Serve warm garnished with additional Romano cheese and fresh parsley or basil if desired.