Organic Lasagna Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
lasagna noodles - # depends on the dish you will use. I used a pyrex dish that fit two lasagna noodles side by side so I used only 4 noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS
Cook the ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Once the sauce is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water then lay flat.In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
To assemble, spread enough meat sauce in the bottom of a baking dish to cover the bottom of the dish about 1/4 in high. Arrange first layer of noodles lengthwise over meat sauce.
Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Spoon meat sauce over ricotta mixture and sprinkle with a third of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

YUM YUM!