World's Best Lasagna

I was recently invited to Sunday dinner where the most delicious broccoli chicken casserole was served. That got me reminiscing about my grandmother's cooking, because broccoli chicken casserole was one of her specialties. I was talking about the recipes of hers that I have, and I ended up inviting my friends over for dinner...with the promise of my grandma's special lasagna. Well, of course I searched high and low for her recipe and couldn't find it. I know I had it at one time though, because I've made it before! Anyway, in lieu of grandma's recipe I made another recipe...literally called "World's Best Lasagna." It has over 7,300 positive reviews on allrecipes.com. It's gotten 5 more positive reviews since I started writing this blog post! How could I go wrong? Allow me to cut to the chase: this lasagna is absolutely phenomenal! It is definitely more work than most (non-Italian) people are used to doing, but IT IS SO WORTH IT!!!! I made a few modifications to the recipe:

1. 1 lb. lean ground beef + 1 lb. Italian sausage.
2. 1/2 cup onion is just pathetic for 2 lbs. of meat! Add at least 1.5 cups diced onion or don't even bother. ;)
3. 1 tsp. salt to the meat/sauce mixture NOT 1 Tbs. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU ADD 1 TBS SALT TO THIS RECIPE!!!! Seriously, you don't even need to add any salt at all. It is fine without aaaaaaaany salt!
4. 6 lasagna noodles...NOT 12. I don't know why every lasagna recipe known to mankind calls for so many freakin' noodles!!! It's like the flour industry writes these recipes! Oh wait...ha! Unless your favorite part of a lasagna is the noodles, or unless you're making a 10" tall lasagna...just make 6 noodles!
5. If possible, make your own ricotta cheese. It's super easy, and it tastes WAY better than anything you can buy at the store. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to make my own, but I was able buy the next best thing: locally and freshly made ricotta. YUM!
6. Again, there's really no need to add even more salt to the ricotta cheese mixture. I sprinkled some salt into the ricotta cheese, but it really wasn't necessary.
7. Instead of the blah blah blah grated parmesan (seriously, does the author of this recipe have a sodium issue?!?!?), pick up a container of shredded parmesan, romano, and asiago blended cheeses! It adds a nice zing and aroma, and it cuts down on the saltiness of parmesan. YUM!
8. I was able to make my lasagna in the morning and let it sit for a few hours before I baked it. I think that helped the flavors to mix and mingle. Making it the day before would be even better!

Ok...so...what you've all been waiting for...the photographical documentation!!!!!

My FGF food critics. Don't let the cuteness fool you - they're TOUGH!!!

The sausage, onion, and garlic mixture.

Add all the tomato products and the seasonings.

Fresh parsley makes a big difference!

Seriously...you only need 6 noodles!!

Fresh parsley in the ricotta, too! Next time I'll make my own ricotta.

Ready for assembly!!!

The layered goodness coming into being! Look at that sliced mozzarella!

I was so excited about eating it that this is the only photo I took of the final lasagna before we devoured it!! Sheesh!

Both of my FGF food critics said this was the best lasagna they've ever had...and I agree 100% (I'm so very sorry, grandma!!!) This will definitely be my new lasagna recipe (with the aforementioned mods, of course!).