This recipe started with my Mama Rosa and now I make it too. A way to keep her memory alive. She is a Mother to 3 Sons and 1 Daughter… that’s me… and also a Nonna to 6 grandchildren and 7 greatgrandchildren.
Ingredients
1 can of Cento Peeled Tomatoes (35oz), 1-2 Tablespoon of chopped onion, 3-4 Tablespoons of EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil), 1 Teaspoon of sugar, Salt & Pepper, A food mill (to puree the tomatoes) (if you don’t have one, you can put tomatoes in blender), One box of Ronzoni Lasagna…1 pound, 1 pound of 93% ground beef, 2 pound container of Polly O Ricotta, 1 pound of shredded/grated Polly O Mozzarella Cheese, About 1 cup of grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, a 5 Qt pot filled with water and 1 Tbsp of salt (or less), A frying pan to saute the chop meat, 13 X 9 inch baking pan, foil
Sauce
Empty container of tomatoes & sauce into a food mill or blender and puree… set aside
In a pot, add 3-4 tablespoons of EVOO heat and then add the chopped onions until translucent then add the puree sauce.
Add 1 teapoon of sugar and season with salt & peper. Cook for about 15 mins.
Meat:
In a frying pan cook the chop meat. Break up the chop meat & cook until brown and drain.
Add the cooked chop meat to the sauce and cook for another 10 mins.
When done, set aside.
Pasta:
Put water in a 5 Qt pot and add 1 tbsp salt to it and bring water to a rapid boil. Add the pasta 2 pieces at a time and stir gently until all the pasta is in the pot. Return to a rapid boil. Cook uncovered and stirring gently occasionally for about 10 minutes. Drain well. Separated cooked lasagna and lay each one on wax paper to keep from sticking together.
In the 13 X 9 inch baking pan spread some meat sauce on bottom of pan.
Place about 4-5 pcs of the cooked pasta lenghtwise over the sauce, overlapping edges. Place a little bit of sauce on top of the pasta, then spoon some ricotta all over the pasta and then sprinkle the mozzarella over it.
Cover with some meat sauce and then sprinke the grated cheese.
Keep on repeating the pasta, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, meat sauce and grated cheese until you reach the top of the baking pan. Cover pan with foil. Place tray of Lasagna into the oven that has been pre heated at 375. Cook for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and cook for another 5 minutes or so. After pan is taken out of the oven, put foil back on the pan and let it stand for about 5-10 mins before serving.