Homemade Lasagna

Prep Time: 35 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes
Servings: 15 Servings

Ingredients
Lasagna:
9 regular lasagna noodles (or no-boil noodles)
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese*
8 ounces freshly grated parmesan cheese

Red Sauce:*
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 bell pepper (red or green), chopped
1 (28 oz) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes*, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 container fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (about 10-15 leaves)

White Sauce (béchamel sauce):
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and sausage over medium-high heat, using a wooden spoon to break the meat apart into pieces. When cooked through, drain the grease. Remove and set aside.
(Optional: This makes a smoother sauce)) Add meat to a food processor and pulse just 3-4 times until it’s broken up into very small pieces. Remove to a bowl.
In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. When oil is hot, add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the onion, spinach and bell pepper and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer them to the same food processor. Pulse several times until they’re nearly pureed. Return mixture to the skillet.
Add whole peeled tomatoes, squishing them into the sauce, add tomato sauce and stir to combine. Add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Cover and allow the sauce to simmer for about 20-30 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Right before using the red sauce in the lasagna, stir in the reserved crumbled ground beef and sausage, and fresh basil.
Cook Pasta: While the red sauce simmers, boil the lasagna noodles for half the time suggested on the packaging. Drain into a large colander and sprinkle them with a tiny bit of olive oil to keep them from sticking together. (You can skip this step if you are using no-boil noodles).
Add the butter to a medium size saucepan or large skillet. Over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour, stirring constantly to combine 2 minutes. Gradually add in the milk, whisking until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, whisking often so it doesn’t burn on the bottom, until it thickens– about 5-7 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Keep in mind that there will be 3 layers of lasagna, so mentally split the sauces into thirds as you layer them to make sure you have enough at the end.
Assemble: Start by layering the bottom of your greased pan with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread the red sauce over the noodles, followed by the white sauce, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, spreading all to the edges. Top with another layer of noodles, then red sauce, white sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Add the final layer of noodles, then red sauce, white sauce and cheeses.
Bake for at least 40-50 minutes, or until lasagna is hot and bubbling. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes or longer, before serving, so it can set up to slice.

Notes
Tomatoes*: If you can’t find whole canned San Marzano tomatoes, you could substitute 14oz can diced tomatoes and 6oz can tomato paste.
Mozzarella: Could also use thin layers of fresh mozzarella cheese instead of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Red Sauce: You can use a 48oz jar of pasta sauce instead of making it from scratch. Warm sauce in a large skillet and stir in cooked meat and fresh basil.
Make Ahead Instructions: Both the white and red sauces can be made in advance. You can also assemble the entire lasagna and cover it with plastic wrap then tinfoil and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bake as directed.
To Freeze Lasagna: Freeze the lasagna before or after baking (if freezing an unbaked lasagna, you don’t need to pre-cook the noodles. Just add them dry). Cover pan with plastic wrap and a double layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to two months. Thaw lasagna in the fridge before removing covering and baking as directed. Or, bake lasanga from frozen (if in an aluminum disposable pan) for 1-½ hours, just keep it covered with foil, but remove the plastic wrap. Uncover and bake for another 45 minutes, or until it’s hot and bubbly.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 329kcal; Carbohydrates: 13g; Protein: 19g; Fat: 23g; Saturated Fat: 11g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 8g; Trans Fat: 0.3g; Cholesterol: 71mg; Sodium: 838mg; Potassium: 494mg; Fiber: 2g; Sugar: 6g; Vitamin A: 1255IU; Vitamin C: 14mg; Calcium: 368mg; Iron: 2mg

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