Mamamia’s Lasagna

Servings: 8 Difficulty: Advanced
Rich, slow-simmered Italian lasagna with savory meat sauce, creamy ricotta, and melted cheeses.
Mamamia's Lasagna recipe image

This classic Mamamia’s Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food, featuring a deeply flavorful meat sauce made from ground beef, Italian sausage, and a long, slow simmer to develop rich tomato notes. The sauce is layered with tender pasta sheets, a creamy mixture of ricotta or cottage cheese, egg, and fresh herbs, all topped with generous amounts of mozzarella and Parmesan. Baked until bubbly and golden, this dish offers a perfect balance of hearty textures and savory flavors. It is ideal for family Sunday dinners, potlucks, or any occasion where you want to feed a crowd with something homemade and satisfying.

Mamamia’s Lasagna

Difficulty: Advanced
Servings: 8 Calories: 252

Description

This classic Mamamia's Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food, featuring a deeply flavorful meat sauce made from ground beef, Italian sausage, and a long, slow simmer to develop rich tomato notes. The sauce is layered with tender pasta sheets, a creamy mixture of ricotta or cottage cheese, egg, and fresh herbs, all topped with generous amounts of mozzarella and Parmesan. Baked until bubbly and golden, this dish offers a perfect balance of hearty textures and savory flavors. It is ideal for family Sunday dinners, potlucks, or any occasion where you want to feed a crowd with something homemade and satisfying.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Remove the casing from the Italian sausage and chop the meat into small pieces.
  2. In a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic until the meat is well-browned and cooked through.
  3. Stir in the sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, basil, fennel seed, black pepper, and half of the chopped parsley; mix well to combine.
  4. Add the undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, and 1/2 cup water; mash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to break them down.
  5. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for approximately 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
  6. While the sauce simmers, bring a large kettle of water with 1 tablespoon salt to a rolling boil.
  7. Add the lasagna noodles to the boiling water and cook until tender but still firm to the bite.
  8. Drain the noodles and rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process.
  9. Lay the noodles out on paper towels to dry thoroughly.
  10. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
  11. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta (or cottage) cheese, egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; mix until smooth.
  12. Spoon 1.5 cups of the meat sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  13. Layer half of the lasagna noodles over the sauce, overlapping them slightly to cover the bottom.
  14. Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles, then top with one-third of the mozzarella cheese.
  15. Spoon 1.5 cups of meat sauce over the cheese layer and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
  16. Repeat the layering with the remaining noodles, another layer of ricotta mixture, and the rest of the meat sauce.
  17. Top the final layer with the remaining mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
  18. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil, tucking the edges around the rim to prevent burning.
  19. Bake covered for 25 minutes.
  20. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes, or until the lasagna is bubbling and the top is golden.
  21. Let the lasagna cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving to allow it to set.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 8


Amount Per Serving
Calories 252kcal
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11.7g18%
Saturated Fat 4.7g24%
Cholesterol 48.5mg17%
Sodium 4764.5mg199%
Total Carbohydrate 20.4g7%
Dietary Fiber 2.6g11%
Sugars 7.3g
Protein 18.7g38%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Keywords: lasagna, italian, beef, sausage, cheese, ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, tomato sauce, pasta, comfort food, dinner, family meal, baked, simmered, herbs, basil, parsley, garlic, onion
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