Authentic Italian Lasagna

Lasagna is usually one of the first foods that pops into your head when you think of Italian foods, but I bet you have never had lasagna made by a Natoli. It isn’t the east side Natolis who owned the restaurant, it’s the west side Natolis, the better Natolis. This recipe is one that has been passed down by generation and tweaked as needed to perfect it.

It takes about 3 hours overall to make, as prep time is around 30 minutes and cook time is 2 hours and 30 minutes. You will need 1lb sweet Italian sausage (we get ours from Nick Santinoceto’s Italian Market in Clearfield, but you can get it from anywhere), ¾lb lean ground beef, ½ cup minced onion, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 28 oz crushed tomatoes, 6 oz tomato paste, 6.5 oz tomato sauce, ½ cup water, 2 Tbsp white sugar, 1 ½ tsp dried basil leaves, 1 ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 4 Tbsp chopped parsley, lasagna noodles, 16 oz ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 3/4lb mozzarella, and 3/4 cup grated parmesan. We use a secret sauce recipe, but I am not certified to give that out.

How to:

1. Cook your ground beef over medium heat with the minced onion, Italian sausage, and garlic until browned.
2. Then stir in your tomato-based ingredients as well as the basil, fennel seeds, and sugar.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste and then two Tbsp of chopped parsley. Turn the heat down to low and let sauce simmer for about an hour, checking and stirring occasionally.
4. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, two more Tbsp of chopped parsley, and ½ tsp of salt.
5. Preheat to 375 degrees F
6. Assemble your dish into a 9×13 pan

• Lay down a layer of meat sauce for your first layer
• Then noodles
• A layer of ricotta
• A layer of your ricotta mixture with some mozzarella
• Then a layer of meat sauce and sprinkle ricotta on top
• Repeat steps until you are happy with what you made

Bake for 25 mins with the lasagna covered in foil, then another 25 mins without the foil. Let it cool and then it’s ready to serve and eat.