Old Nag Lasagna

 Old Nag Lasagna

1 pound Italian sausage

1 pound lean ground beef

½ cup minced onion

3 cloves garlic crushed

1 quart diced tomatoes

2 6 ounce tomato pastes

13 ounces of tomato sauce

½ cup sweet red wine

1 tablespoon basil

1 teaspoon fennel seed

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon salt (to taste)

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ cup fresh parsley

1 tablespoon coriander seed (burst of flavor)

Brown off the meat, drain and place into a slow cooker. To the slow cooker add all of the above ingredients. Mix well and cover. Cook for 2 hours on low. Remove cover and continue cooking for 6 hours stirring occasionally. This process will reduce the sauce (thicken it).

Cook lasagna noodles until almost cooked.  Then drain and cool so you can handle the noodles. Once the lasagna is in the oven it will finish cooking.

Grate the following cheeses and do not mix them:

1 to 2 pounds of mozzarella (depends how cheesy you want it)

½ pound cheddar

¼ pound parmesan cheese (or to taste)

Wash 2 zucchini and slice

You are now ready to build the lasagna. Prep a 5 quart rectangle baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray. Place a layer of noodles across the bottom. Then layer sauce, dabs of either ricotta cheese or cottage cheese, ½ of the zucchini, layer of mozzarella, repeat the layer. The third and final layer will be the noodle, sauce and mozzarella. Put a thin layer of cheddar, then parmesan and dust the top with oregano, basil, parsley, marjoram and tarragon.

Always place this type of casserole on a baking sheet with sides. Bake at 325 degrees until golden brown on top. This could take an hour or more.

Serve hot with a green salad and garlic bread.