Lasagna

• 1 lb. lean ground beef

• 1 lb. ground Italian sausage

• 1 large onion, minced

• 2 large garlic cloves, minced

• 2 small carrots, shredded

• 1 tsp. Kosher salt

• 1 T dried basil

• 1 T dried oregano

• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

• Sprinkle of red pepper flakes

• 12 oz. tomato paste

• 1 (28 oz. can)

• Whole San Marzano Tomatoes

• ¼ cup water

• 2 bay leaves

• 16 Lasagna Noodles

• Handful chopped fresh parsley

• 3-4 cups whole milk Ricotta cheese

• 2 whole eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper

• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

• 4 cups {16 oz} Grated Mozzarella Cheese, divided

Preparing the Sauce:

• In a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat; sauté chopped onion and carrot in a tablespoon of olive oil with salt until they start to soften. Add in minced garlic, ground beef and the ground Italian sausage. Stir occasionally until the meat browned.
• Add in the kosher salt, basil, oregano, cinnamon, red pepper flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste, giving time for the paste to color the oil a golden sheen.
• Crush each San Marzano tomato by hand into small pieces over the pot {to catch any juices}. Add any remaining sauce from the can. I like to add a quarter cup of water to the can, swirl to remove any excess sauce and pour that in as well.
• Add the bay leaves and half of the chopped parsley to the sauce. Stir to combine.
• Reduce the heat to low, replace the lid on your Dutch oven and let the meat sauce simmer for minimum of 45 minutes.
• While the sauce is simmering, cook the lasagna noodles according to the box directions and prepare the make the ricotta mixture.
• In a large bowl combine the 3 cups of ricotta, two eggs, remaining parsley, black pepper and a half cup of both Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. Stir and keep in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the lasagna.

Assembling the Lasagna:

• Lightly coat a 13x9 baking pan with olive oil and preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Slightly larger is better.
• Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of the baking pan.
• Layer 1: Start with 4 noodles and top with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture {spread it out}. Spread out 1 to 1-1/2 cups of sauce, sprinkle with a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Mozzarella.
• Layer 2: 4 Noodles and top with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1 cup of the meat sauce and sprinkle a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Mozzarella.
• Layer 3: 4 noodles, top with the remaining ricotta mixture, and 1 cup of meat sauce {no cheese}.
• Layer 4: 4 remaining noodles, the remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cup or so of Mozzarella. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and a little oregano.
• Bake the lasagna for 30-40 minutes {rotating the pan halfway through} or until cheese is thoroughly melted and golden. After baking let the lasagna sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.