Lasagna

1 – 2 boxes lasagna noodles, uncooked
1-2 jars spaghetti sauce
2 pounds hamburger
1 pkg uncooked Italian sausage, liners removed
2 large container Ricotta cheese
3 (6oz each) pkgs sliced mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Dash Oregano, garlic powder, Salt , pepper

Mix sausage with hamburger meat (crumble as small as you can). Brown meat mix and drain fat really well. Use several paper towels to soak up as much of the grease as possible. Let this cool a little and then mix in the Ricotta cheese. Heat spaghetti sauce in saucepan. Mix in all the spices. Spray a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Spread just a little sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place 1 layer of noodles in the pan. Next spread a layer of the meat/ricotta mixture. Place a layer of mozzarella strips over meat mix. Place another layer of noodles over mozzarella strips. Pour a generous portion of sauce over the noodles (don’t be stingy with the sauce, but don’t drown it either - the moisture from the sauce helps the noodles cook). Now start over again with the meat mix, then mozzarella, noodles, and sauce. To finish, the last layer should be noodles then sauce. Sprinkle heavily with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Towards the end, make sure you watch closely because the noodles will burn and get crusty. If it looks bubbly and the cheese is melted then it is done. If you are using a smaller pan, then it will probably only need to cook about 30 minutes.

Every time I make this recipe I end up having to go back to the store to get more ingredients. I always have extra of something. By the time I’m done, I’ve quadrupled the recipe and I end up with 4 13x9 pans of lasagna. It freezes great.

serves: a lot!