It tastes every bit as good as it looks, and it's really simple to make. I start by browning about a 1:1 mixture of hot Italian sausage and ground beef; about a pound of each. I like my lasagna slightly spicy, so I add to that mixture crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper, 1/4 tsp of fennel seeds, and lots of basil, oregano, and thyme. Around a teaspoon of each at the minimum. While that's browning, I mince about 4-5 cloves of garlic. That might seem like a lot, but I'm a big fan of garlic. Add however much you think is appropriate depending your taste buds. Also chop one large onion and some kind of bell pepper; I prefer red because it's slightly sweeter and less bitter. When the vegetables have softened I add two 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes, about a tsp of sugar, and I let that simmer for at least 30 minutes. While it simmers I prepare the cheese mixture. I grated a block of provolone (you can use mozzarella or pretty much any Italian cheese) and around one cup of Parmesan cheese as well. I took half of the provolone and added it to two containers of ricotta cheese along with the full cup of Parmesan. Then I added three eggs. The eggs are going to make the cheese more spreadable as well as keep the structure firm after you slice the lasagna. At this point you're going to want to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You'll need a pan that is about 13x9x3". You can usually buy a disposable one at the grocery store if you don't have one. It's usually even called a lasagna pan. Lasagna is all about layers and I usually start with the sauce. You want to have just enough sauce to coat the bottom then you put down a layer of noodles. I always buy Barilla brand if possible because they don't need to be precooked, which is way more convenient. After the noodles you spread out the cheese mixture. If it doesn't seem like it's spreading very well I just add a little milk to help out the texture. Keep repeating in this order until you get close to the top of the pan. At that point, I usually add a layer of sauce on top of the last layer of pasta, which I follow by adding the rest of the provolone cheese, and I grate some more Parmesan onto the top. I also start cooking the pasta with tinfoil over the top, which I remove after about 30 minutes to allow the cheese to brown. It should take 45 minutes to an hour to cook. It's usually safe to bet that the pasta is cook and everything is hot once the sauce starts to bubble at the edge of the pan. Such an amazing dish and it's great to serve to friends because it makes a large amount of food. Also it's usually even better the second day, so enjoy some delicious leftovers.
