Ingredients

2 T olive oil

24 no-cook lasagne noodles (a bit more than you get in the 1 lb box of Trader Joe’s)

2 cans Trader Joe’s low-fat marinara, or your favorite marinara sauce (26-28 oz size each)

1 lb 85% lean ground beef

1 lb large Italian sweet sausages

1 medium sweet onion chopped

2 plump garlic cloves minced (not crushed)

1 medium carrot chopped

2 stalks celery chopped

2 plump garlic cloves minced

2-1/2 tsp oregano divided

1/2 cup dry red wine

32 ounce container ricotta cheese

1 extra large egg

12 ounce package shredded Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggio cheese, or other Italian cheese blend

1-1/4 cups grated Romano

Preparation

In 5-6 quart Dutch oven, sauté vegetables and garlic until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add 1 tsp of oregano, then the sausage and ground beef one third at a time, breaking up with a wooden spoon to avoid large clumps, and saute over medium until well browned. Drain off most of the accumulated fat. Add the wine and cook until completely reduced. Add the 2 cans of marinara sauce and let simmer, partially covered,at least a half hour or longer, allowing the flavors to marry. Remove pan from heat and assemble the lasagne.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta with the lightly beaten egg, 1/4 cup Romano, and 1-1/2 tsp oregano

In a deep pan with high sides - at least 3 inches (mine was 14 x10 x 3) spread 1 cup of the sauce on the bottom. Lay a row of six no-cook noodles over this, slightly overlapping. Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture over this layer, then 1/3 of the ricotta mixture in dollops sprinkled all over and then smoothed out with a small spatula or back side of a table knife, then 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Repeat two more times, and end with a final layer of noodles spread with remaining cup of sauce and sprinkled with the remaining cup of Romano cheese.

Cover tightly with foil and bake in 375 oven for about 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake another ten minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Can be assembled and refrigerated for baking later, but remove from refrigerator about an hour before baking.