Nonna’s Famous Lasagne

What do I need?

• 450 g Italian sausages
• 350 g beef mince
• ½ cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 800 g crushed vine-ripened tomatoes
• 200 g tomato passata
• 200 g tomato paste
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 ½ tsp dried basil leaves
• 1 ½ tsp salt, divided, or to taste
• 1 tsp Italian herb mix
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 12 lasagne pasta sheets (approx. 750 g)
• 460 g ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 340 g mozzarella cheese, sliced
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

How do I make it?

1. Cook sausage, minced beef, onion, and garlic in a cast iron casserole over medium heat until well browned.
2. Stir in crushed vine-ripened tomatoes, tomato passata, tomato paste, and water. Season with sugar, two tablespoons of parsley, basil, one teaspoon of salt, Italian herb mix, fennel seeds, and pepper. Simmer covered for about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagne sheets in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, and ½ teaspoon of salt.
5. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
6. To assemble, spread 1 ½ cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 23 – 33 centimetre baking dish. Arrange 6 lasagne pasta sheets lengthwise over the meat sauce, overlapping slightly. Spread with half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with one-third of the mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 ½ cups of meat sauce over mozzarella and sprinkle with ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.
7. Repeat the layers and top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminium foil. To prevent sticking, either spray the foil with cooking spray or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes.
9. Let the lasagne rest for 15 minutes before serving.