My Mamma's Lasagna

My Mamma's Lasagna

SAUCE INGREDIENTS :

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon olive oil for pan frying tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (she used minced garlic out of the jar)
• 3 large cans tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons basil
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves

DIRECTIONS FOR SAUCE:

1. In a heavy pan heat oil at medium heat, garlic, onion, and paste in the hot oil. Mix paste around in oil until the paste is bubbly. Keep paste moving or it will burn.


2. Fill tomato paste cans twice with water and pour into the fried paste mixture.


3. Add basil, cloves, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.


4. Turn down heat to medium low and cook 1 hour.

Ingredients for Lasagna:

• 15 lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)
• 2 15-ounce containers part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• Fresh parsley
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Meat Filling:

My mom always used leftover meat from the sauce to make lasagna. Her sauce always had fresh Meatballs , but the other meats were whatever she had on hand. Her sauce had leftover pork chops, leftover sausage, & leftover beef steak . She would mash the meatballs, sausage, and whatever else she had and use it as the meat filling in the lasagna.

Ricotta Filling:

In a large bowl mix egg, ricotta, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup romano cheese about 3 tablespoons chopped parsley, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and mix well.



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FOR LASAGNA:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.


• Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 7 minutes.


• Drain and layout on wax paper.


• Spread about a 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of 13x9-inch glass baking dish.


• Place 5 noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit.


• Spread ricotta mixture evenly over noodles.


• Sprinkle 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta mixture.


• Spoon 1/2 - 1 cup sauce over cheese, and spread with spatula to cover.


• Repeat layering with 5 noodles and top with meat 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1/2 - 1 cups sauce.


• Arrange remaining 5 noodles over sauce.


• Spread remaining sauce over noodles.


• Sprinkle remainder of mozzarella cheese.


• Sprinkle Romano cheese evenly over lasagna.


• Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.


• Bake lasagna 30 - 45 minutes.


• Let lasagna stand 15 minutes before serving

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Buon Appetito