Lasagna With Ground Beef and Sage Sausage

This lasagna recipe with homemade sauce includes Italian sausage and ground beef. Then four types of cheese and other Italian staples are combined for an amazing pasta dinner that feeds a crowd.

My best friend coined this recipe as "the ever-expanding lasagna," Several years ago when she moved into her first home, I brought her this homemade lasagna so that they wouldn't have to worry about cooking a meal that day.

Later she told me how much they liked it and its magical properties of expansion. "It's the ever-expanding lasagna. Every time we would cut a piece the rest of it would fill into the empty spot."

This recipe came from my mother who originally got it from a vacation spot we went to when I was a kid.  Of course, like many recipes, especially common ones like lasagna, she and I have changed it over the years.

It does make a huge lasagna. If you are going to make this you will need a good deep lasagna pan. However, these days I usually make two and freeze one using two standard 9 x 13 glass pans.

Tip: Place a few toothpicks in the lasagna so that the foil doesn't stick to the cheese while baking. You don't want to miss out on a single bit of tasty cheese.

Homemade Lasagna Options

• I use boiled noodles but you can use no-boil lasagna noodles. However, you may want to add a little water to the sauce.
• Ricotta cheese. I usually use whole milk ricotta for extra richness but you can use part-skim to cut down on the fat if you want.
• Mom's recipe calls for whole canned tomatoes but they are a bit chunky so sometimes I'll use cans of diced tomatoes instead.
• Play around with the other cheese mixes. I love the taste of Provolone but you could use all mozzarella or substitute Romano for the Parmesan.

Truly one of our favorite family recipes. Perfect for a large gathering or pot luck offering. And, if you have a new neighbor or a friend who's moving into a new house, I know they will appreciate this hearty tasty dish.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves of garlic - crushed
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 large sweet onion diced
• 1 12 oz can tomato paste
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 28 oz cans whole or diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon basil
• 1 box Lasagna noodles
• 2 eggs - lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 pound ricotta cheese
• 1/2 pound sliced provolone cheese
• 1/2 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Brown garlic, onion, beef, and sausage in olive oil. Add the canned tomatoes, sauce, paste, and spices. Break up the tomatoes with a spoon as they cook. Simmer for 1 hour.
3. In a separate bowl combine, ricotta, eggs, and parsley.
4. In a deep lasagna pan start with a light layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan.
5. Next place your noodles close together.
6. Then spread about 1/2 of the ricotta mixture.
7. Top with some of the mozzarella and provolone. What I do is slice them in half and lay each slice close together alternating the provolone and mozzarella.
8. Then spread half of the meat mixture followed by a sprinkle of Parmesan.
9. Repeat.
10. Top with remaining mozzarella and provolone slices.
11. Cover with foil and bake for 45 mins.
12. Remove foil and continue baking for 15 mins.
13. Remove from oven let stand for 15-20 mins before serving.

Notes

Use a few toothpicks to hold the foil up and keep it from sticking to the cheese while the lasagna bakes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266 Total Fat: 16g Saturated Fat: 8g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 8g Cholesterol: 67mg Sodium: 665mg Carbohydrates: 11g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 6g Protein: 19g

Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you'll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

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