This is my mom's special homemade lasagna recipe with a meaty, made-from-scratch tomato sauce and a deliciously cheesy filling. A more traditional homemade lasagna filling would be made with ricotta but my mom's recipe calls for a blend of small-curd cottage cheese and Parmesan. I have found none better anywhere. Serve with a leafy green salad and crusty garlic bread.
Ingredients
- ground pork: 0.5 pound
- lean ground beef: 0.5 pound
- onion: 0.5 cup (minced)
- tomatoes: 1 can (28 ounce can, crushed)
- tomato sauce: 1 can (8 ounce can)
- parsley: 2 Tbsp (fresh; divided, chopped)
- garlic: 1 clove (crushed)
- basil: 1.5 tsp (dried)
- salt: 1.5 tsp
- oregano: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- white sugar: 0.125 tsp
- lasagna noodles: 1 pack (16 ounce pack)
- small-curd cottage cheese: 1 pound
- Parmesan cheese: 0.75 cup (grated)
- eggs: 3 piece
- salt: 2 tsp
- ground black pepper: 0.25 tsp
- mozzarella cheese: 1 pack (16 ounce pack, shredded)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Combine pork and ground beef in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, garlic, basil, salt, oregano, and sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.
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While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
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While the noodles are cooking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
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Mix cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, remaining 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until combined.
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Assemble lasagna: Spread a spoon or two of sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish just to to coat it. Place two layers of noodles over the sauce to cover. Layer with 1/2 of the cheese mixture, 1/2 of the remaining sauce, and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once more using the remaining noodles, cheese mixture, sauce, and mozzarella. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until cheese is golden brown, 5 to 10 more minutes.
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Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
