Lasagna Sauce
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ of a sweet onion, minced
1 small carrot, minced
1 celery stalk, minced 2 cloves garlic, minced
4-26 to 28 oz. contains Italian chopped tomatoes
2-6 oz. cans of tomato paste
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
6 basil leaves, minced
1 sprig of fresh oregano, leaves minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Directions
To make mincing the vegetables easier, I put them in the food processor and process until finely chopped.
Place the minced vegetables and the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook on low until softened. Do not let the vegetables brown. Add the tomato paste and cook for two minutes. Fill the empty tomato paste cans with water and add them to the saucepan. Stir until the paste is dissolved.
Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, peppers, and herbs. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to very low, and simmer sauce until very thick, about 3 hours. Taste to see if more salt is needed.
Pasta
16 Lasagna Noodles, fresh, no-boil, or dried, and cooked
Lasagna Cheese Filling
Ingredients
32 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
16 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced thin
Directions
Mix all the cheese ingredients together, except the mozzarella cheese, until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the lasagna.
Completing the Lasagna
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Oil a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish
Spread about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of the dish and place a4 noodles on top.
Spread one-third of the sliced mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta and then one-third of the ricotta cheese mixture over the mozzarella; top with another 1 cup of sauce.
Repeat the layers twice, then top with a layer of noodles. Spread 1 cup of sauce over the top layer of pasta.;
Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Makes at least 12 servings.