In my introduction to Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen, I mentioned that Garth had recently asked me about trying to create a heartier, meatier lasagne, and we started experimenting. Here’s what we came up with. Remember those old commercials that said, “How do you handle a hungry man?” Well, here’s how!
In a large, heavy skillet, lightly brown the ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic in the oil. Be sure to keep the meat chunky, not finely separated, while cooking. Drain the meat. Add the pepperoni, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, salt, pepper, and oregano. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Cook and drain the lasagna noodles according to package directions.
In a 9 × 13 × 2-inch baking pan, spread 1 cup of the prepared sauce. Alternate layers of noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses, ending with sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbling. Allow the dish to stand for 15 minutes before serving. Cut the lasagne into 3-inch squares and serve.
Recipe Notes
Serves 12 regular people or 1 hungry cowboy and his wife! My family likes cottage cheese in place of ricotta. It gives the lasagne even more texture.