Lasagna

Cook 2 lb sweet Italian sausage, 1 minced onion, and 4 crushed garlic cloves over medium heat in a dutch oven. Stir in 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes, 12 oz tomato paste, 13 oz canned tomato sauce, and 1/4 c water. Season with 1 T sugar, 2 T fresh basil, 1 t fennel seeds, 2 t Italian seasoning, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t freshly ground black pepper and 2 T fresh parsley. Simmer for 1 1/2-6 hrs (if you are making this the day before, only simmer 1/2-1 hr and let the flavors blend in the fridge overnight!).
Let 12+ lasagna noodles sit in hot salted tap water for 25-30 min to half-cook (it will cook the rest of the way in the oven). Combine 1 1/2 lb ricotta with 2 eggs, 2 T fresh parsley, 1/2 t salt, and 1/2 t nutmeg. Preheat the oven to 375F and assemble the lasagna! You will need 1 lb sliced mozzarella cheese, 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese, and 1/4 c grated pecorino romano cheese. [(sauce + noodles + ricotta + mozzarella + sauce + parmesan + romano) x2 + noodle + sauce + mozzarella + parmesan + romano + foil] Cook for 25 min, take off the foil, cook for another 25 min, and finally let cool for 15 min.

Note: This is a HUGE recipe! if you don't have one of those huge aluminum party thingies, this will make two smaller lasagnas, so plan your layers accordingly. I like to make my own ricotta cheese because the taste of fresh ricotta is amazing and nothing supermarket-bought can compare. I also made my own Italian sausage to avoid all of that extra salt and preservatives. If you choose to make your own cheese and sausage, prepare 1 day ahead of assembling lasagna. Recipes for both ricotta and sausage are below!  :)

Ricotta:
Line a large sieve with a layer of heavy-duty, fine-mesh cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl.
Slowly bring 3qt milk, 1 1/2 c heavy cream, and 3/4 t salt to a rolling boil in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Add 4 1/2 T fresh lemon juice, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture curdles, about 2 minutes.
Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain at least 1 hour. After discarding the liquid, chill the ricotta, covered; it will keep in the refrigerator 2 days. The longer you chill it, the firmer it will become.

Sweet Italian Sausage:
Mix together 2 lb ground pork, 1 T salt, 1 T ground fennel seed, 1 1/2 T sweet paprika, 1 T minced garlic, 1 T sugar, 1 t black pepper, and 3 T red wine vinegar. For best results, let sit in fridge overnight before use.

A delicious slice of my homemade lasagna :)

One of the two lasagnas that this recipe yielded... the other one was smaller