Classic Lasagna

Cook your Italian sausage, make sure to break up the sausage into a very fine crumble as it cooks, you don't want large chunks. Drain the oil and let cool.

Boil your lasagna noodles, drain, and let cool and dry on paper towels or a clean dish towel, I spread them out when they are cool enough to touch.

Grate all your mozzarella cheese. Reserve the equivalent of one brick to top the lasagna with. You will add the other two, to the ricotta/cottage cheese mixture.

I use two 9x13 trays for the two lasagnas. *I make one with meat and one with just cheese but you can do them both meat.

Add a jar of the marinara to each tray. I add a little water to each jar, and shake to get the rest of the sauce out, and add that to each tray. If I have fresh basil, I add a few leaves to the bottom of each tray. To one tray, if doing meat and cheese separately, I add a few tablespoons of the crumbled, cooked sausage to the bottom of one tray as well.

Mix your ricotta, cottage cheese (this adds moisture and creaminess), mozzarella (remember to save some for the top) add the nutmeg, white sugar, garlic salt, pepper, oregano, parsley and if you have fresh basil, mince it and add it as well. Add your three eggs after whisking them. Stir this and combine well.

I set up a work station with the ricotta mix, sausage, cooked noodles, the two trays with the sauces in the bottom. And a cutting board.

I start with the meat lasagna. I spread out the noodles and add about 3 to 4 tablespoons of the ricotta down the length of each noodle. (picture in post) then I add a couple of tablespoons of the cooked sausage. Then starting from one end I roll the noodle up on itself and place it in the pan with the sauce and sausage. I repeat this until I have 12 roll ups snug in the tray. (picture in post). Rolling the noodles helps keep the filling IN the layers while baking. I still cut the lasagna as you would if you prepare it the non rolled up way. You will see your fillings don't leak out. **You do not have to roll the noodles super tight. Some of the filling will come out while rolling. Do not fret. I just add the extra to the next roll.

Repeat this process with the next pan, of all cheese. If doing a cheese and meat version.

I top the two trays with the third jar of marinara. I add about 1/2 tablespoon to the top of each roll. If I have extra sausage left, i add that to the top of the meat tray. If you have extra ricotta left, I also top the rolls with a little bit of that on each roll. Depending how much ricotta you use in each roll, you shouldn’t have much left.

I use the rest of the mozzarella across the top of both trays. I also add some fresh basil. Cover with foil, spray the side that will touch the lasagna with non stick spray and bake at 375 degrees for an hour. Then uncovered for 30 minutes. Keep and eye so the cheese isn't getting too brown. If using foil pans, I suggest baking them on a cookie tray and the trays can bend when trying to take it out of oven. *Please see note about baking at the end.

You know your lasagna is done when it is bubbling, ther center is semi firm, and the cheese is bubble brown. The LASAGNA MUST REST at least 30 minutes before cutting into squares or it will be watery.