CopyCat The Old Spaghetti Factory Baked Lasagna

Ingredients

1 pound Sweet Italian Sausage
1 pound Ground Beef
1/2 cup chopped Onions
2 cloves Garlic minced
One 28-ounce can Crushed Tomatoes
Two 8-ounce cans Tomato Sauce
Two 6-ounce cans Tomato Paste
1/2 cup Water
2 tablespoons White Sugar
1 teaspoon Fennel Seed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh Basil Leaves
4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian Parsley divided
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
32 ounces Ricotta Cheese
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated Nutmeg
1 Egg
16 Lasagna Noodles
1 pound shredded Mozzarella Cheese divided
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese divided

Directions

Sauce:
In a large pot add ground beef, Italian sausage, onions and garlic. Place over medium heat.

Cook until ground beef is browned through, breaking up pieces with a wooden spoon, and onions are tender and fragrant.

Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste and water. Stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add white sugar, fennel seed, basil, 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir to mix well. Cover. Adjust heat to low and allow to simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Filling:
In a large bowl, add ricotta cheese, fresh grated nutmeg, egg and 2 tablespoons Italian parsley. Mix well. Set aside.

Assemble:
When meat sauce has finished simmering, spread 2 cups on bottom of a 9 × 13 casserole dish. Lay 8 noodles across the layer of sauce, overlapping as needed.

Spread 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the layer of noodles.

Set aside 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to top lasagna.

Spread 1/2 of remaining mozzarella cheese over the ricotta layer. Sprinkle 1/2 of remaining Parmesan cheese over the mozzarella cheese layer.

Spread 2 cups of meat sauce over the Parmesan cheese layer. Lay down the next layer of 8 noodles, overlapping as needed.

Spread the remaining ricotta mixture over noodles.

Spread remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese (still saving what was set aside for the top) over the ricotta.

Spread the remainder of the meat sauce in a layer over the cheeses.

Sprinkle the set aside 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese on top.

Cooking:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cover casserole dish with foil. Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove foil. Bake, uncovered, for another 25 minutes. Remove from oven.

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes to set. Cut into pieces and serve hot.