Meaty Cheesy Lasagna

 This is my new favorite lasagna. The secret ingredient is prosciutto. And lots of sauce. And lots of meat. And lots of noodles. And lots of cheese...

Meat Sauce-

48 oz of Raos marinara

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

Lasagna-

non stick cooking spray for pan

1 pound whole milk ricotta

1 tbsp fresh basil - chopped

1 tbsp fresh parsley -chopped

1 tsp garlic salt

pinch red pepper flakes

1 large egg

one 9 oz package no boil noodles (plus extra box if you like a lot of noodles in your lasagna)

12 slices prosciutto (1 small package from Trader Joe's)

12 slices provolone (1 package from Trader Joe's)

1 1/2 pounds mozzarella grated (grate it yourself -don't use pre packaged shredded mozzarella)

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Directions:

For the meat sauce - 

Cook the meat in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up into tiny pieces as you go. This is key. You do not want big lumps of ground beef or ground pork. When cooked through, combine the meat and  raos marinara in a large bowl. Set aside

For the lasagna- 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and place dish on a rimmed baking sheet.

In a medium bowl - combine the ricotta, basil, parsley, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, and egg and stir until blended. Set Aside

Use a food processor to easily shred the ball(s) of mozzarella. Set aside

To assemble-

Spread 1 1/2 - 2 cups meat sauce across bottom of prepared baking dish. Use just enough to cover the bottom of dish. Place 4 noodles over the sauce. It is ok if they overlap slightly. It is also ok to tear apart an extra noodle or two to cover empty spaces. That is what the extra box of noodles is for. Add broken pieces to empty spaces if you like a lot of noodles in your lasagna.  Dollop 2/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and spread evenly to cover the noodles. Top the ricotta mixture with 4 slices of prosciutto, then around 4 slices of provolone. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella over the provolone. 

Repeat this layering: sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, prosciutto, provolone, and mozzarella two more times. 

When you've done that, top with another layer of noodles, sauce, then the parmesan and remaining mozzarella. If you've run out of noodles, use the back up box and continue.

To bake:

Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake the lasagna on the rimmed baking sheet in case it bubbles over about 50 minutes until noodles are cooked. (you can test by poking them with a sharp knife to see if noodles are soft)

Remove the foil and return to the oven until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown, another 10-15 minutes. 

Let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes 

Serve with side salad and garlic bread and enjoy!