Best Lasagna Ever

My friend made this for me right after I gave birth to my 4th child. Sooooooooo amazing. I salivate just thinking about this lasagna. It is THAT delicious. From The Sisters Cafe

It’s-a-keeper Lasagna
submitted by Brittany ~ The Sisters Cafe

meat sauce:
2 lbs mild Italian sausage
1 lb ground turkey
2 large onions, diced
4 tsp garlic, crushed (6-8 cloves)
2 (12 oz.) cans tomato paste
3 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
4 cups stewed tomatoes (mine are homegrown and frozen but you can substitute canned stewed tomatoes)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tb dried basil (or 1/4 cup chopped fresh)
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup water

cheese mixture:
32 oz. ricotta cheese (can substitute cottage cheese)
4 oz. cream cheese, optional
2 extra large eggs
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg

24 lasagna noodles, soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
shredded mozzarella cheese (approximately 2 lbs or 8 cups)
1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

In a stock pot, cook sausage (remove casings), ground turkey, onion, and garlic over medium heat. Stir in remaining ingredients listed under meat sauce. Simmer, covered for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Use the back of your stirring spoon to break up large chunks of stewed tomatoes. **If you are making this the day before you plan on serving it, you can skip the long simmer time. The flavors will meld together as it sits in the fridge, even if you have already assembled the lasagna.**

Soak lasagna noodles in hot water for 20 minutes. (They will be partially cooked – soft but firm enough that they don’t get soggy while baking. This helps the lasagna servings hold their nice square shape when you slice it up.) While noodles soak, combine ingredients for the cheese mixture and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set out two 9×13 inch pans.

To assemble, scoop 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of each 9×13 inch pan. Lay down 6 noodles lengthwise over sauce and spread with 1/4 of total cheese mixture in each pan. (This will use up half of your cheese mixture.) *Note: not a 1/4 cup but a 1/4 of the total cheese mixture! To make this easier you might want to divide the cheese mixture into 2 bowls before starting the layering so that it is easy to use half a bowl for each layer.* Next sprinkle 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan on top, per pan. (Or desired amount of cheese, I usually sprinkle on the amount that looks good to me.) Repeat layers and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 1-1.5 hours. The time will vary depending on if you bake both at once. For last 15 minutes, remove foil and allow cheese to crisp up on top. Let lasagna cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

If you wish to freeze one, cover tightly with foil and pop into the freezer without baking. Remove from freezer the night before you wish to serve it and let it thaw in fridge. Bake covered in foil for approximately 1-1.5 hours. If it’s slightly frozen it will take longer of course!