Lasagna

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef, chuck
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 large bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28-ounce can good quality tomato sauce
• 3 ounces tomato paste
• 1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, packed
• 1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• Pinch of garlic powder and/or garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup sugar, to taste, optional
• Salt
• 1/2 lb dry lasagna noodles
• 15 ounces Ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 lb Mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced
• 1/4 lb freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Set a large pot of water over high heat for the noodles, seasoning it with 1 Tbsp salt for every 2 quarts of water. While it works its way to a boil, start the sauce. Warm 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, then add the ground beef and cook until the meat has a light brown color all over.
2. Lift the beef into a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving only about a tablespoon of fat in the skillet and discarding the rest. Add the diced bell pepper and onion to the same pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion looks translucent and the pepper has softened. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for half a minute more. Put the browned beef back in the skillet, mix everything together, turn the heat to low, and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Move the beef mixture into a medium 3- to 4-quart pot. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Add the parsley, oregano, and Italian seasoning, using the amounts you like. Season with garlic powder and/or garlic salt to taste, then add the red or white wine vinegar. Stir in the sugar a tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go, since the tomatoes will determine how much you need. Add salt to taste, remembering that Parmesan will bring more saltiness later.
4. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat so it stays at a low simmer. Cook it for 15 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping across the bottom of the pot now and then so the sauce does not stick or burn. Take the pot off the heat.
5. Once the salted water is boiling, add the dry lasagna noodles and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Stir them often, and keep the water at a full rolling boil the whole time so the noodles are less likely to cling together. Drain them in a colander, rinse with cool water, and carefully loosen any noodles that have stuck to each other.
6. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with a little olive oil. Lay the cooked noodles on the sheet, turning them so both sides pick up a light slick of oil, which helps keep them separate.
7. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
8. Spoon a cup of sauce into a 9x13-inch casserole or lasagna dish and spread it across the bottom. Place a layer of lasagna noodles lengthwise over the sauce, using about 3 long noodles and overlapping the edges if your dish calls for it. Spoon a third of the remaining sauce over the noodles.
9. Scatter a third of the grated mozzarella over the sauce. Drop half of the ricotta over the top in dollops spaced every couple inches, then sprinkle half of the grated Parmesan evenly over the ricotta.
10. Add another layer of noodles, then cover it with half of the sauce that remains. Top with half of the remaining Mozzarella, all of the remaining ricotta, and the remaining Parmesan.
11. Add the final layer of noodles. Spread the last of the sauce over the noodles, then finish with the remaining Mozzarella cheese.
12. Cover the pan with aluminum foil, shaping it into a loose tent so it stays off the noodles and sauce. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes. If you want a more browned top or crisp edges, remove the foil for the last 10 minutes.
13. Let the lasagna rest at least 15 before cutting and serving. Leftovers will keep for about 5 days and can be warmed in a conventional oven or microwave. Store it with the aluminum tent in place, trying not to let the foil touch the sauce.