Hearty Sausage and Cheese Lasagna

The holidays are almost upon us, it's nice to welcome friends and family into your home for a hearty meal of lasagna. Every single bite is packed with cheese, sausage and sauce.

Ingredients 1 pound bulk Italian sausage

1 medium onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans (one 28 ounces, one 15 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 celery rib, chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

6 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

1 pound sliced part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 pound sliced provolone cheese

Directions Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Remove with a slotted spoon. Discard drippings in pan.

1. Add onions to same pan; cook and stir over medium heat until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, celery, parsley, bay leaf, brown sugar, oregano, salt and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf.

2. Remove 1 cup sauce from pan. Stir cooked sausage into remaining sauce. Spread reserved sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with three noodles and half of each of the following: sausage mixture, ricotta, mozzarella and provolone. Repeat layers (dish will be full).

3. Bake, covered, 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Yum!

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