Best Lasagna Ever!

Our daughter in Kansas City just had a little baby girl. I am here to help her out for a few days and to play with the her sweet little girls. I have been doing some cooking for her while she recovers and making doubles so that after I leave she can pull something out for dinner on her hectic days (with a 20 month old and a newborn there maybe a few!)

I made a marinara sauce several days in advance for several meals that I would be serving. I think sitting and marinating helped the sauce "mature!" At home I would use the tomatoes that I had canned for myself and I don't add sugar so the taste was a little different. But I made my usual recipe, below, only a smaller batch.

Lauri’s Italian Sauce
3 bottles whole tomatoes (4cans approx. 1 lb size)
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
3 8 oz. cans mushrooms

3 T. dried Oregano
3 T. dried Marjoram
3 T. dried Basil
1 ½ T. dried Thyme

1/2-3/4 c. chopped dried onion or two chopped fresh onions
2 T. minced dried garlic or 5 cloves fresh garlic minced (if using fresh onion and garlic saute them in olive oil until transparent and then add the remaining ingredients)
Combine all of the above ingredients and bring to a boil, simmer on low heat until thickened. (I usually simmer it for several hours)

Meat Sauce
4 lbs, lean ground beef
2 chopped onions
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

Brown the meat and add the onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add to the marinara sauce and simmer.

For Lasagna:
Place marinara sauce in the bottom of a 9x13pan. Place lasagna noodles (uncooked) on top and then layer with Cottage cheese, Cheddar cheese, Mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers again. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for one hour. If freezing cover with foil and freeze, thaw and bake, saves up to six months in the freezer.

The one thing that made this lasagna so good was the local Italian Sausage that I used along with the ground beef I just wish I could take a case of this home with me. Because the marinara sauce was being used in several things I didn't put as much sauce as I typically do and there was a lot of the meat mixture it all blended together so well.

Seriously one of the best Lasagnas I have ever made!