Three-Cheese Lasagna With Italian Sausage - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup grated carrot
2 tablespoons minced garlic
8 ounces lean ground beef
6 ounces hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in puree
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dry crushed red pepper
15 oven-ready no-boil lasagna noodles (about 12 oz.)
2 (15 ounce) containers ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
10 ounces frozen spinach, thawed, drained & squeezed dry
2 large eggs
2 lbs grated mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion, carrots and garlic; saute until softened, 10-12 minutes.
Add beef and sausages to pan; saute until cooked through, breaking up meat as you stir, about 5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients.
Cover and simmer until flavors blend and sauce measures about 5 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Discard bay leaf.
Set aside and cool.
Combine ricotta and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese in medium bowl.
Mix in spinach.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Mix in eggs.
Preheat oven to 350\u00b0F
Spread 1/2 cup sauce over the bottom of a 13\" by 9\" glass baking dish.
Place 5 noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit.
Spread half of the ricotta-spinach mixture evenly over noodles.
Sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta-spinach mixture.
Spoon 11/2 cups sauce over cheese, spreading with spatula to cover (sauce will be thick).
Repeat layering with 5 noodles, remaining ricotta-spinach mixture, 2 cups mozzarella and 11/2 cups sauce.
Arrange remaining 5 noodles over sauce.
Spread remaining sauce over noodles.
Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese evenly over the top of the lasagna.
Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
Bake lasagna 40 minutes; uncover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 40 more minutes.
Let lasagna stand 15 minutes before serving.