Recipe: BAKED LASAGNE

Title: Baked Lasagne
Categories: Pasta, Italian
Yield: 6 servings

1 lb Of lean ground beef, or 1/4 ts Freshly ground pepper
-Italian sausage 1 Bay leaf, broken in half
3 tb Olive oil 15 oz Fresh ricotta
1 lg Onion, chopped (to make 1 4 c Grated mozzarella cheese
-cup) 1/4 c Freshly grated Parmesan
1 lg Red or green bell pepper -cheese
-(finely chopped) 1 Egg
2 lg Garlic cloves, minced 1/2 ts Salt
28 oz Italian plum tomatoes 8 Lasagne noodles (about 6
6 oz Can tomato paste -oz.)
1/3 c Water 1 tb Olive oil
1 1/2 ts Dried basil 1/4 c Freshly grated Parmesan
1 ts Oregano -cheese
1 ts Sugar (optional) 1/4 c Freshly grated mozzarella
Salt -cheese

Remove sausage casings and crumble sausage. Brown meat in large pot,
stirring occasionally to break up the meat. Drain off fat.

Remove meat and set aside. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in the same pot, add
onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring
occasionally, about 5 to 8 minutes or until onion is tender.

Stir in the reserved meat, tomato puree, tomato paste, water, basil,
oregano, sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and bay leaf and
bring to boil. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours,
or until flavors mingle and mixture thickens slightly (there will be
about 4 1/2 to 5 cups of sauce).

Combine ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4
teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl; set aside.

Bring 3 quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon
salt, then gradually add lasagne noodles so that water continues to
boil. Cook noodles until barely tender, about 5 minutes, stirring once
or twice; do not overcook. Drain noodles; rinse in cold water and drain
well. Return noodles to pot and toss them gently with 1 tablespoon oil to
prevent them sticking.

Line the bottom of a a buttered 9 x 13 x 2-inch pan with 4 lasagne
noodles, cutting one as necessary to completely cover the bottom. Spread
evenly with half of ricotta mixture (1 generous cup). Sprinkle evenly
with half of mozarella (about 2 cups). Spread with half of the tomato/meat
sauce.

Top with remaining 4 noodles, cutting one noodle as above so that the
sauce mixture is completely covered. Evenly layer on remaining
ingredients in the same order as above. Sprinkle the top of the lasagne
evenly with 1/4 cup Parmesan and 1/4 cup mozzarella.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 for about 45 or 50 minutes or until
lasagne is hot in center. Remove from oven; let stand for 15 minutes.
Cut in squares and serve on heated plates with garlic bread.