Lasagna

Ingredients:

3⁄4 Lbs lean ground beef, 80% lean or better
1⁄2 Lbs raw Italian sausage, casings removed
1 26 oz. jar thick spaghetti or marinara sauce
2 C water or tomato juice, (I prefer tomato juice)
1⁄2 C fresh basil, chopped
1 lbs lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 15 oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 Lbs mozzarella cheese (low moisture), coarsely grated
1 C grated Parmesan

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Saute beef and sausage in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Transfer meats to bowl. Drain out the fat. Combine spaghetti sauce, water or tomato juice and basil in large bowl. Spread 1 cup of sauce mixture in bottom of 13" x 9" baking dish. Arrange 1/3 of uncooked noodles, slightly overlapping if necessary, atop sauce. Spread half of ricotta over noodles. Sprinkle with half of mozzarella cheese, half of meat mixture and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Top with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Repeat layering with noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, meats and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining uncooked noodles over. Add remaining sauce covering lasagna completely. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan. Cover tightly with heavy-duty foil. Place on baking sheet. Bake until noodles are tender and lasagna is heated though, about 1/2 hour. Uncover; and place back in oven for 1/2 hour to heat through and let the top brown slightly. Remove from oven, let stand 15 minutes. Cut lasagna into squares