Meat Lover Lasagna

It’s raining. It’s pouring. Do you know what that means around my house? Yep, time to make some comfort food. Get ready to turn up your oven and bake some easy and hearty Meat Lover Lasagna while the storm brews outside!

There is nothing better to do on a cold rainy weekend than snuggling up with your family in your warm and cozy home. For us we hung out while watching movies, beheld the beautiful roaring fire as it heated our home and of course craved all things comforting as the pitter-patter of the rain beat against our windows. So making this Meat Lover Lasagna was the perfect fit. It’s loaded with cheese and meat, it’s super easy to prepare as you use no-boil noodles, and each bite will satisfy everyone!

Meat Lover Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped and divided
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
8 oz. ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
9-12 no-bake lasagna noodles
1 can (29 oz.) tomato sauce
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with non-stick spray and set aside.

To a large skillet over medium heat add sausage and ground beef and cook until browned; this will take about 15 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon of the chopped basil and diced tomatoes and heat through for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl add the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon chopped basil, egg, salt and pepper. Mix well.

To assemble the lasagna, first pour a layer of tomato sauce over the bottom of your dish, arrange about 3-4 lasagna noodles over sauce, then pour another layer of the tomato sauce and top with about 1/2 of the meat mixture, top with 3/4 of the sliced mozzarella cheese, then place 3-4 lasagna noodles on the top. Pour a layer of the tomato sauce, then add the ricotta mixture and top with 3-4 lasagna noodles and pour a layer of tomato sauce. Top with the remaining meat filling and top with the remaining sliced mozzarella cheese and the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking until cheese and lasagna are bubbling. Let stand for about 10 minutes, and then cut into squares. Garnish with a bit of grated Parmesan and cheddar cheeses.