Lasagna

[walton_eats]

As a sort of celebration of the beginning of the cooler weather (it hasn't really gotten *cold* here, yet), the other night Tim asked me to make lasagna.

1 pkg wide lasagna noodles (I use Golden Grain Mission)
1 lb ground beef or turkey or chicken or Italian sausage
6-8 cups of your favorite marinara sauce, either homemade or in the jar*
1 small container whole milk ricotta
2 lbs whole milk mozzarella (not fresh, that's too watery - Precious brand works wonderfully)
A chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano and a microplane or other grater

Preheat oven to 375F.

Boil pasta according to package directions, then drain and rinse well with cold running water until it's cool enough to handle. Brown meat then add sauce to pan and heat through. Grate the mozzarella. Break up the ricotta with a fork.

In a deep 9"x13" pan, lay a layer of pasta in the bottom to cover (in this size pan I have to lay one piece of pasta, trimmed to fit, perpendicular to the other pieces in order to fill a gap at the end). Ladle sauce to cover the pasta, then dollop some ricotta over the top of the sauce. Cover that with a handful or two of shredded mozzarella then grate some Parmigiano-Reggiano over the layer of mozzarella. Repeat layering the ingredients. Repeat again, only for the top layer skip the ricotta, and be generous with the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Bake, uncovered. for 30 to 40 minutes, until casserole is bubbling and cheese is browned. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving (this will give you time to heat garlic bread and make a nice salad :)).

EDIT: Served it with this juicy, lush Syrah.

They also make an incredible port.

*Marinara Sauce

Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 large can whole tomatoes with basil, including liquid
1 large can petite diced tomatoes
1 large can tomato puree
1/2 - 1 small can tomato paste
fresh or dried basil, to taste
fresh or dried oregano, to taste
salt
a tablespoon or two of sugar
1 lb button or crimini mushrooms, sliced

Sweat onion and bell pepper in olive oil and a bit of salt until onion becomes soft. Add garlic and cook a few minutes more. Add the wine and cook down until the liquid is almost gone, then add all the tomato products, the herbs and the sugar. Let simmer, partially covered, for 30-45 minutes (or longer if you have things to do), then add sliced mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings.