Mom's Lasagna

Oh how I love a good lasagna!  I love to serve it when we have guests too.  They always love this one!  Its my mom's recipe, with some additions that my family likes.  The sauce could definitely be used for spaghetti too, its perfect with breadsticks!

Mom's Lasagna
1/2 pound Italian sausage
1/2 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 regular size can (14.5 oz, I think) diced tomatoes
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
2 Tbsp oregano
1 Tbsp basil
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sugar

16 oz small curd cottage cheese
1 1/2-2 pounds mozzarella cheese
16 lasagna noodles

Brown the meats and onion.  I like to add salt and pepper to my meat while it cooks.  When its all browned, drain it.  Add the tomatoes, sauce and paste.  Stir in the oregano, basil, salt, pepper, garlic, and sugar.  Cook over low heat, the longer the better.  I'll be honest and tell you that I often don't let it simmer because I don't plan ahead.

While it simmers, cook your noodles according to package al dente.  When they are done, take the time to lay them out on wax or parchment paper.  It makes them cool nice and flat, making it so much easier to layer.  It also really helps them to not to stick to each other.  Nothing frustrates me more than tearing my noodles when I'm trying to build a lasagna.

In a deep 9 X 13 dish put down a bit of sauce.  Layer 4 noodles across the bottom (they will overlap a little), about 1/3 the package of cottage cheese, 1/4 the mozzarella cheese, then more sauce.  Repeat 2 times: noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella, sauce.

Now you should have 4 noodles, some sauce, and some mozzarella cheese.  Put the noodles on top, some sauce over them and top it all off with the mozzarella cheese.

Bake it for about 30 minutes between 350 and 375.  (My mom's recipe says 375, but I did 350 this week and it was perfect!)  Let it sit for about 10 minutes before you cut into it.

This is probably even better the second day.  Something about cheese being twice baked that makes it sensational!  Enjoy!