It's called an ULTIMATE Lasagna...

Alright. I was left quite unsatisfied with this recipe. I was even contemplating whether or not to post it. But I decided that I must post it... and in the meantime, I will brainstorm (mmm... 6th grade english vocab word!) on how to make this d*mn recipe work...

"Inspired" by Tyler Florence's The Ultimate Lasagna (I'm not attaching the link, because the recipe is a little messed up as is--I will put in my edits myself!!)

1.5 lb. dried lasagna noodles
extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. ground beef
2 lbs. italian sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup finely chopped italian flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp chopped oregano leaves
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 cups red wine
2- 28 oz. cans diced tomatoes (and possibly substitute one can of diced tomatoes with a smaller size can of tomato paste, that way it is not as watery)
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 quarts ricotta cheese (2 containers)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesean, and extra for topping
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lb. mozzarella cheese, shredded, and extra for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the lasagna noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until pliable and barely tender, about 10 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking. Drain the noodles thoroughly and coat with olive oil to keep them moist and easy to work with. Coat the large skillet with olive oil, add beef and sausage and brown until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a food processor, combine the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano. Process until pureed, add to the pan with ground meat and stir to combine. Stir in the flour. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by half. Stir in the tomatoes and add the heavy cream and the cinnamon. (Please note: Cooking the sauce took the most prep and cooking time.)

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta and the parmesean. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the lasagna: Coat the bottom of a DEEP pan--I used a disposable lasagna pan that was like 3 inches deep maybe and 13 x 9 probably. Arrange the noodles lengthwise in a slightly overlapping layer. Also, line each end of the pan with a lasagna noodle. This forms a collar that holds in the corners. Each layer should have ricotta, sauce, and cheese. The picture has four layers to the ULTIMATE lasagna. For each layer: Dollop a 1/4 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta, spread to the edges with a spatula. Spread 1/4 of the meat mixture over the ricotta. Sprinkle 1/4 of the mozzarella on top of the ricotta. Then top with noodles, and repeat. Top last layer with noodles, sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmasean. Tap the pan to force out air bubbles.

Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Let lasagna rest for 30 minutes so the noodles will settle and cut easily. Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.