Almost-as-Good-as-Eric's Lasagna

I've written before about my love for lasagna and lamented both the absence of my Mom's recipe and my inability to replicate my brother Eric's version. So with a strong craving and more than two weeks' vacation looming, I got all of his tips sitting around his dining room table after Christmas dinner.

Friday morning I hit the grocery store and sent out a few texts and by 7:30 that night we had a nice little dinner party going; an hour later, we had all but polished off the entire plan. Success!

The most helpful tip was to use far less sauce than I usually would. This time, I used just one jar of sauce, when in the past I've used upwards of two full jars. As a result, the lasagna held together much better and you could taste the meat and cheese - not just the tomato sauce.

I think my Mom would have loved it and I can't wait to make it for Eric to try!

Ingredients:

• 1 box lasagna noodles
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce (I used Classico roasted tomato and garlic)
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 2/3 pound hot Italian sausage
• 2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 32 oz. container ricotta cheese
• A couple large handfuls of Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pepper

Method:

1. Line a large cookie sheet with paper towels; set aside.
2. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain on the prepared cookie sheet, laying each lasagna sheet out flat.
3. Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a skilled over medium high heat. When the sausage is cooked through, push to the sides of the pan and add the ground beef to the center of the pan. Cook until beef  is cooked through. Combine both meats in skillet. Use a paper towel to sop up any excess grease, but do not drain fully.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg lightly. Fold in the ricotta cheese and 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella. Add pinch of nutmeg and black pepper to taste. Combine well.
5. Add a thin layer of sauce to the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish. Add a layer of noodles - my dish accommodated three noodles layed out the long way.Top with one third of the cheese then a third of the meat. Spoon over about half a cup of sauce - it will not cover the layer completely.
6. Repeat two more times, ending with the sauce.
7. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella and the Parmesan over the top of the casserole.
8. Cover tightly with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes; remove the foil and cook 20 - 30 minutes longer, until the lasagna is hot throughout and the cheese begins to brown. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.