- ➽ Bolognese Sauce.
- ➽ 4 clove Garlic.
- ➽ 1 large Whole Carrots.
- ➽ 1 large Celery Stalk.
- ➽ 1 medium White Onion.
- ➽ 2 tbsp Olive Oil.
- ➽ 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning.
- ➽ 1 tbsp Paprika.
- ➽ 1 tbsp Ground Black Pepper.
- ➽ 1 tsp Kosher Salt.
- ➽ 1/4 tsp Rosemary Powder.
- ➽ 2 dash White Pepper.
- ➽ 1 dash Cayenne Powder.
- ➽ 2 lb Lean Ground Beef.
- ➽ 1 lb Ground Italian Sausage.
- ➽ 6 oz Can of Tomato Paste.
- ➽ 28 oz Can of Tomato Puree.
- ➽ 2 cup Red Wine.
- ➽ 2 tbsp Better Than Bullion - Beef.
- ➽ 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce.
- ➽ 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar.
- ➽ 2 Whole Bay Leaves.
- ➽ Creamy Cheese Blend.
- ➽ 32 oz Ricotta Cheese.
- ➽ 8 oz Cream Cheese.
- ➽ 1 1/2 cup Whole Milk.
- ➽ 1 tbsp Garlic Puree.
- ➽ 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning.
- ➽ 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper.
- ➽ 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt.
- ➽ 6 oz Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese.
- ➽ 5 cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese.
- ➽ Lasagna Noodles.
- ➽ 16 oz Lasagna Noodles.
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Mince garlic cloves and finely dice the carrots, celery, and onion..
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In a large stock pot (enamel coated cast iron works best for this), heat olive oil on medium-high heat..
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Add vegetables to stock pot. Sweat the vegetables on medium-low heat for about 7-10 minutes until tender and moisture is reduced..
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Add and mix in the Italian seasoning, paprika, black pepper, kosher salt, rosemary powder, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. Cook for about 1 minute to release the fragrance of the spices..
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Add the the ground beef, ground Italian sausage, and the tomato paste. Turn up the heat to a medium-high and start mixing with a wooden spoon. Continue to mix until the meat is fully cooked, approximately 10-15 minutes. By adding the tomato paste and cooking in this method, it will break up the meat into small particles an give your sauce a more meaty flavor and texture..
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Drain off most of the excess fat. Using a very lean ground beef (90/10 0r 93/7) makes this easier. Plus the leaner meat makes for a better sauce..
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After the meat is cooked and drained, add the tomato puree, red wine, Better than Bullion - beef, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, and bay leaves..
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Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about an 60-90 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should thicken some in this time. Do not completely reduce the liquid from the sauce as it will be need to help cook the noodles later..
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For the creamy cheese blend, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl except for the mozzarella cheese. Allow the cream cheese to come up to room temperature before combining to make it easier to mix. You should have a nice creamy sauce like mix when done. Note: Use fresh Parmesan cheese and grate as finely as possible, a micro plan grater is recommended..
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Boil the lasagna noodles in a large stock pot for 4 minutes. The noodles should be pliable but not fully cooked. Drain and rinse with cold water. Note: Use a thicker lasagna noodle for a heartier dish..
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Place the noodles in a shallow pan and cover with lukewarm water. This keeps the soft and helps prevent sticking..
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After the sauce and noodles are cooked and the cheese blend is made, it is time to start layering your lasagna. Using large (13x9) and deep pan start with a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan.
Note: Disposable aluminium pans work well for this as they are typically deeper than a standard 13x9 pan and it makes clean up that much easier..
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Next add a single layer of lasagna noodles. Typically the pan will be a little wider than the width of 3 whole noodles. To get better noodle coverage, cut the edge of a lasagna noodle lengthwise to fill the gap. A pizza cutter works great for this..
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Now add a thin, even layer of bolognese sauce..
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Next, spoon a generous amount of cheese blend on top of the bolognese sauce. Spread it evenly over the pan with the back of a spoon..
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Top the cheese blend with a generous amount of shredded mozzarella cheese.
Note: The bulk shredded mozzarella cheese sold at either Costco or Sam's Club is a great value and has the correct moisture content to melt nicely..
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Repeat steps 13 through 16 once more..
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Add one more layer of lasagna noodles, for a total of 3 layers of noodles, and top with more bolognese sauce. Do not add more cheese to this layer. The pan should be very full now.
Note: To help prevent spillage, if you used an aluminium pan, turn up the edges to form a catch..
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Tightly cover the pan with aluminium foil and place in a preheated 325°F oven and cook for 75 minutes.
Caution: The pan will be heavy and will want to fold when lifted. Be sure to properly support the pan when moving it.
Note: Place the rack one step below the middle of the oven. Use a cookie sheet on the rack below the lasagna to catch any overflow..
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After the cook time is up, remove the pan from the oven. Turn up the heat to 425°F and move the cooking rack to just above the middle of the rack.
Caution: The pan and rack will be very hot, be sure to use the proper hot pads/gloves..
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Remove the foil from the pan and top the lasagna with a generous amount of shredded mozzarella cheese..
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Once the oven is up to 425 F, return the lasagna to the oven and brown the cheesse top, about 10-15 minutes. Keep on eye on the lasagna to ensure you do not burn the cheese..
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When the cheese is melted and golden brown, remove from the oven..
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Now for the hard part, wait at least 15-30 minutes before serving to allow the lasagna to cool and settle. Even after resting for this time the lasagna will be very hot so use caution when eating..
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Serve and enjoy..