Mere’s World Famous Lasagna

 (Yes, I know that's a pic of stuffed shells. But for some reason I don't have a pic of the lasagna.)

Mere’s Lasagna

Homemade Ricotta (optional but highly recommended)

4c whole milk
2c heavy cream
1t salt
3T vinegar

Make the ricotta an hour or more before starting the lasagna. Bring milk, cream, and salt to rolling boil (watch it – it WILL boil over). Add vinegar and let stand a couple minutes. It will curdle – this is what you want, don’t freak out. Strain through a clean dish towel or a couple layers of cheesecloth set in a strainer. Allow to drain for 30minutes to an hour. You can do this the day (or two, or three) before.

Meat Sauce

1lb mild Italian sausage
1lb lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans whole, peeled, San Marzano Tomatoes, crushed in a bowl, by hand.
Olive oil
Salt, Pepper, red pepper flakes
Bunch of fresh basil

Brown meats in large Dutch oven over medium heat until very brown. If the pan looks dry at this point (it will if your meat is very lean), add a drizzle of olive oil and then the onions, season with a pinch of salt, pepper, and chile flakes. Stir, cooking until onions are translucent. Add garlic and stir about a minute until fragrant. Add your bowl of crushed tomatoes. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 20 – 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Remove from heat and add half the chopped basil.
*if you want experiment with the sauce – do it. A splash of red wine before adding the tomatoes or adding a parmesan rind while it simmers would be great.

Assembly

12 – 16 sheets no-bake lasagna noodles, I use Skinner
1lb fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
Parmesan
½ lb sliced provolone
2 eggs
Fresh oregano OR dried Italian seasoning

Rub a little olive oil all over the surface and up the sides of the pan glass, ceramic, or disposable all work. Mix ricotta with two eggs, ½ grated parmesan, oregano/Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Spoon a couple ladles of sauce in the bottom of a baking dish then three to four pasta sheets, overlapping slightly. Spread 1/3 of ricotta mixture over the sheets. Add another layer of pasta, this time spooning sauce over the top. Layer on mozzarella, then another layer of pasta and ricotta. Keep layering pasta, ricotta, pasta, sauce, cheese, pasta until you have as many layers as you like or run out of noodles.  After the last layer of noodles, spoon a generous amount of sauce over the top layer, then any mozzarella remaining, Finally, top with a layer of sliced provolone. At this point it freezes beautifully OR bake at 375, covered for about half an hour (until bubbly), remove foil and bake until cheese is just starting to turn golden in spots. Let stand for 15-30 minutes before slicing.  Enjoy!