Nana's Lasagna (Meat)

Notes: Nana Rose Jacobson's original, modified over many years by Debra Steppel

Serves 12 (cut 3x4). Total combined prep and bake time: 2.5 hours + let stand 15 min.

Ingredients

1 large onion

several cloves fresh garlic (could be a full rose if you like it garlickly)

4 oz fresh mushrooms

splash of olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey or beef

1 - 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

a few Tablespoons of Italian Seasoning

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

6 full-length lasagna noodles (the type that require cooking)

1 - 15oz tub of ricotta cheese

12oz shredded mozzarella cheese

~1 cup grated parmesan (or grated parmigiano reggiano) cheese

Mise en Place

1. Peel and dice onion into a small dice (~1/4"). Set aside.

2. Peel and mince garlic. Set aside.

3. Wash and chop mushrooms into small pieces (1/4"). Set aside.

4. Spray the sides of a 9"x13" metal or glass pan. (I prefer a metal pan because it's easier to remove a square piece with a spatula when the corners are more square and the sides are more vertical.)

5. Open the ricotta cheese and remove the top layer of clear plastic.

Prepare Homemade Sauce

1. Heat olive oil in a large saute' pan on Med/High until splashed water sizzles.

2. Saute' onions a few minutes, stirring so they cook evenly.

3. Add garlic and mushrooms, stirring them into the onions. Saute' all of them together until the onions are glassy and the flavors meld. Set aside in a small bowl.

4. In the same saute' pan, add the raw meat. Saute' until fully cooked, (no pink), chopping into small pieces with a fork, or meat chopper/separator.

5. Drain the fat from the meat into a glass jar and discard in the trash.

6. Add back the onions/garlic/mushrooms to the meat and stir. Season with salt & pepper.

7. Open the can of crushed tomatoes and pour it over everything. Stir and simmer on low for 45-60 minutes.

Boil the Noodles (while the meat sauce is simmering)

1. Bring a large pot with salted water and a splash of olive oil to a boil.

2. Once boiling, cook 6 lasagna noodles for about 15 minutes or per package instructions.

3. When noodles are al dente, turn off the heat under the large pot and remove pot from the hot burner, but keep the noodles in the water to remain supple.

When the noodles are finished cooking, also turn off the burner and remove the meat sauce from the hot burner.

Assemble the Lasagna

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Prepare your work area by lining up the greased pan, pan of meat sauce, pot of noodles, and 3 cheeses.

3. Layer in the following order:

   1. 1/3 of the meat sauce

   2. 3 noodles placed lengthwise (1 layer covering the sauce)

   3. 1/3 of the meat sauce

   4. 1/2 of the ricotta (use 2 teaspoons to place in chunks)

   5. 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella

   6. 1/2 of the parmesan

   7. 3 noodles placed lengthwise (1 layer covering the cheeses)

   8. remaining 1/3 of the meat sauce

   9. remaining ricotta

   10. remaining shredded mozzarella

   11. remaining parmesan

   12. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning

4. Cover with nonstick foil. (At this point, it's fine to refrigerate and bake later or the next day. This works great as a prep-ahead meal.)

5. Bake at 350 (in a preheated oven) for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes until the top cheeses turn golden brown. (If needed, can switch to Broil for 2-5 minutes, but watch it carefully through the oven window to make sure it doesn't burn.)

6. Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.

7. Best cutting method (to make each serving less likely to fall apart) is to cut 3 long strips (along the lengths of the lasagna noodles), then divide each strip into fourths, resulting in 12 servings.

8. Leftovers can be frozen and reheated in a microwave oven.