CopyCat Chi-Chi’s Classic Lasagna

Ingredients

¾ lb. lean ground beef
¾ lb. ground Italian sausage
9 lasagna noodles (about 8 ounces, or more or less, depending on the size of your pan)
2 cups Tomato & Basil pasta sauce (or use your own homemade sauce)
1 cup Sundried Tomato Alfredo sauce
2 ¼ cups ricotta cheese (about 20 ounces)
4 cups shredded mozzarella or Italian cheese blend
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Noodles:
Cook lasagna noodles in a large pot of well salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain pasta. Lay the cooked noodles out in a single layer on foil or on a sheet pan that’s lightly coated with cooking spray so that they don’t stick.

Meat Sauce:
While the noodles cook, get started on the sauce. In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the ground beef and sausage until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off the excess grease; return the cooked meat to the skillet. Stir in the marinara sauce and the Alfredo sauce.

Layer:
Spoon about ¼ of the meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared dish to cover in a thin layer. Add a layer of noodles.

Spread a layer of ricotta (about ¾ cup) over the noodles. I find that it’s easiest to drop small spoonfuls of the ricotta all over the top and then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to gently spread it in an even layer.

Sprinkle a layer of mozzarella over top of the ricotta. Repeat the layers twice more (meat sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella). Finish with a final layer of sauce, sprinkle with another 1 cup of mozzarella, and top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake:
Cover a large baking sheet with foil, and place the lasagna dish on top of the baking sheet. Bake the lasagna, uncovered, for about 45 minutes.

Allow the lasagna to stand and set up for about 15-30 minutes before slicing and serving.