Rustic Farmhouse Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 pound sliced pepperoni

1 pound sausage – I used 1/2 pound regular sausage and 1/2 pound hot spicy sausage – use what you like.

1 12-oz Can Tomato paste

1 16 -oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1 8-oz can tomato sauce (unsalted is what I used)

1 cup or so of red wine

1 cup water (or 2 if you don’t want to use the wine)

1 Bunch of fresh basil – torn into pieces

1 Bunch of fresh oregano

1 medium onion – diced

2-4 cloves of minced garlic.

Pepper to taste

16 oz Mozzarella cheese – I use fresh and tear it into chunks

1 cup of Parmesan cheese – grated

16 oz Ricotta cheese

16 oz Lasagna noodles

Let’s get cooking

Brown hamburger and sausage, keeping it somewhat chunky, drain grease. Then add all the other ingredients, except noodles and bring to a simmer and simmer, uncovered 30-40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil noodles according to box directions and drain – drizzle with a little olive oil to keep moist while you assemble the casserole.

In the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan, spread a layer of the sauce. Top with a layer of the noodles and the ricotta, then mozzarella and parmesan cheese, then meat sauce, keep layering until you end with sauce and then sprinkle with the top layer with cheese.

Bake until lightly browned and bubbling and yummy looking – about 40 minutes. Be sure to place a baking sheet under your casserole pan to catch any drippings. Allow the dish to stand for about 15 minutes before slicing into squares!