Meaty Lasagna

This recipe is adapted from Paula Deen's recipe called "Lots O' Meat Lasagna."  Its really moist, meaty and full of flavor. Delicious!

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (I used 92/8)

3/4 pound ground Italian sausage (I used hot, but you could use sweet)

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ground oregano

1 teaspoon ground basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano (I prefer petite cut tomatoes)

1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce 

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

2 cups small curd cottage cheese (I would suggest using 3 cups)

3-4 ounces grated Parmigianno-Reggiano 

2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves or 2 tsp dried parsley

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

9 oven-ready lasagna noodles

3 cups shredded mozzarella 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large saucepan, combine ground beef, sausage onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until meat is browned and crumbled (drain if a lot of fat is in the pan). Add oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 to 45 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, Parmesan, parsley, and eggs. Spoon 1/4 of sauce into bottom of a 13 by 9 baking pan. Place 3 uncooked lasagna noodles on top of sauce. Do not overlap noodles. Spread 1/3 of cottage cheese mixture over noodles, top with 1/4 of sauce and 1/3 mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers, ending with sauce, reserving 1/3 of mozzarella cheese.

Bake 45 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and bake 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.