Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 Pound ground beef, ground sausage, or 1/2 pound of both (I usually use both)
• 1 can, 28 ounces, San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 cans, 28 Ounces each, tomato sauce (I use Contadina because it's not bitter)
• 1 Tablespoon Amore tomato paste (This comes in a tube)
• 1 small onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed & minced
• Basil, oregano, Italian Seasoning, and parsley
• 1 pound ricotta
• 1 cup parmesan
• 1 egg
• olive oil
• 3 pounds Mozzarella cheese
• fresh mushrooms
• Blanched spinach, optional*
• lasagna noodles (usually a box and a half)

Directions

Brown beef/sausage in olive oil along with finely chopped onion and minced garlic. Drain beef/sausage but save the oil for the sauce. Refridgerate beef/sausage until ready to put the lasagna together.
Heat tomato paste in 1/4 teaspoon oil, until it's thinned out a bit. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, beef/sausage oil with the bits, and the spices of your choice. Cook on medium for at least 4 hours. (If you like you can add half a bottle of good quality wine to the sauce)
Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, parsley, and egg in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Cook lasagna noodles. Put a little sauce on the bottom of the lasagna pan so that the noodles don't stick. First layer of noodles go lengthwise in the pan. Make sure that they overlap. Sprinkle some beef/sausage on top of the noodles. Put a teaspoon of ricotta mix every few inches along the noodles. Sprinkle some mozzarella on top and cover with sauce.
The next layer should go crosswise.
Repeat each step until you use all ingredients. Layer noodles on the top. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Heat in a 350 degreeF oven for about an hour.
*If you chose to add spinach, add it to every other layer as you put the lasagna together.