Janet's Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1/3 lb. ground beef
• 1/3 lb. ground veal
• 1/3 lb. ground pork
• 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3- 28 oz. cans Italian tomatoes, hand-crushed with the juice
• 2 lb. lasagna noodles
• 4 fresh basil leaves, torn
• 3 lb. ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 lb. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced or shredded

Steps

1. Saute meats and sausage in a large pan over medium heat. Add salt, pepper and 1 T parsley. Saute until meat is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, remove meats from pan and set aside. Pour off excess fat from pan.
2. Put oil in pan and heat it over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, and basil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have reduced to a thick sauce, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in the meat mixture. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook till al dente, about 10-12 minutes. Drain and lay noodles on dish towels or paper towels and pat dry.
4. Combine ricotta, 1 cup of grated cheese, eggs, salt and pepper, and 1 T. of parsley in a large bowl. Set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. Assembly: Lightly cover bottom of an 11x16 inch baking dish with sauce. Arrange a slightly overlapping layer of noodles to cover bottom of dish. Dot the pasta with large spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture and spread. Add some sauce, and then a layer of sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle with grated Romano. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of sauce and grated Romano. Cover with foil and bake until cheese is melted and mixture is bubbly, about 1 hour. Remove foil and bake until top layer is lightly browned, about 10-15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.