6ozmild Italian sausage, casing removed, about 3 links
6ozground beef or ground pork
2Tablespoonstomato paste
28ozcanned crushed tomatoes, or see Note 1
1teaspoondried basil
1teaspoondried thyme
1teaspoondried oregano
1teaspoonwhite sugar, optional
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6fresh lasagna sheets
Ricotta filling:
1 1/4cupsricotta cheese, or cottage cheese
1/4 - 1/3cupfresh spinach or parsley, finely chopped
1/3cupParmesan cheese, grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2cupsshredded mozzarella cheese, for topping
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat olive oil in an oven-safe skillet, about 10-12 inches top diameter. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30-45 seconds. Add ground beef and sausage. Cook, stirring and breaking up larger chunks with your spoon, until well browned. Spoon off and discard excess fat in the pan.
Add the tomato paste and stir in and cook for about 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, herbs, sugar (if using) and generously add salt and freshly ground pepper. *Add a bit of water to your empty can of crushed tomatoes, swirl it around and set aside in case you need to add a touch of liquid to your sauce. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer while you make the ricotta filling.
In a medium bowl, add the ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, chopped spinach or parsley and salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir to combine well and set aside.
Remove your skillet from the heat. **Make sure your sauce is not too dry at this point. It should have some saucy liquid along with the meat. If you think it needs it, add some of the water in the tomato can that you set aside, as needed. I generally add a splash to loosen a bit.
Assemble the lasagna: Take one sheet of fresh lasagna and slide it under the sauce, close to the bottom of the pan. Take a second sheet and repeat, but place it in the opposite direction, in a roughly + shape. Place two sheets on top of the sauce, diagonally, forming an X shape. Spoon the prepared ricotta filling on top and spread into an even layer. Place two more lasagna sheets on top, covering as much of the cheese layer as you can. Using a small spoon, grab some of the sauce from under the cheese layer and spread it over-top of the top noodles to moisten. You don't need a lot, but do be sure that there is enough to spread across all the noodle area. If you like, you can trim any excess noodles that are sticking out around the edges, or leave them to get crispy edges. Scatter grated mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.
Bake uncovered at 350F (not fan assisted), for 30-35 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the top is golden. *If your skillet is jam-packed to the top, bake with the skillet on top of a baking sheet to catch any bubble-overs. Remove from oven and let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
1. If you don't have crushed tomatoes, you can use canned diced tomatoes, though you may need to simmer the sauce longer to cook off some of the extra liquid from the diced tomatoes.Be sure to read the Ingredient and Cook's Notes above the recipe card, for more tips on making this recipe.