Five-Cheese Meat Lasagna

1. Peel the tomatoes by removing the stem and scoring a shallow x on the opposite end. Place in boiling water for 15-20 seconds, then immediately place in a bowl of ice water for about a minute. Remove from the water, slip off the peel, remove the seeds and chop. Place chopped tomatoes in a 2-quart saucepan and simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until tomatoes start to cook down. If you prefer a smoother sauce, puree the tomatoes then return to the pan. Add 2 3/4 cups of sauce (reserve 1/4 cup for bottom layer), tomato paste, dried basil, oregano, marjoram, and Italian seasoning. Cover and simmer while you cook the meat.

2. In a large saute pan, brown the beef and sausage until cooked through; drain. Add the onion and garlic powders to the drained meat and cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Then, add the sauce, stir thoroughly, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

3. While the meat sauce is simmering, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

4. At this point (or earlier) you can preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 9×13 glass baking dish and set aside.

5. Combine the beaten egg, fresh parsley, fresh basil, cottage cheese, and ricotta in a medium bowl.

6. Time to put it all together! Here’s how I layer it:
– a thin layer of the remaining, reserved sauce (1/4 cup)
– a layer of noodles
-1/2 of the meat sauce
-a layer of provolone (all of it)
-1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture
-as much Parmesan as you want!
-noodles again
-rest of the meat sauce
-rest of the cheese mixture (it will get slightly mixed with the sauce but that’s okay)
-a layer of mozzarella (all of it)

7. Place the baking dish on a cookie sheet (to catch any spills) and bake for about 35 minutes or until lasagna is bubbly and the top is golden.

8. Remove from oven and let the lasagna sit for at least 10 minutes so you will be able to cut it. Enjoy!!