1 lb. sweet or mild Italian sausage
1/4 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
12 curly noodles
1 container ricotta cheese
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. basil
2 1/2 tbsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. chopped parsley
4 c. tomatoes, undrained
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
Dash of nutmeg
12 oz. Mozzarella cheese, sliced thin

Remove sausage from outer casing; chop the meat. In a 5-quart Dutch oven over medium heat, saute sausage, beef (break up beef with wooden spoon), onion, and garlic, stirring frequently until well browned, 20 minutes. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, basil, pepper and half of the parsley. Mix well. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and 1/2 cup of water, mashing tomatoes with wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering covered and stirring occasionally until thick, 1 1/2 hours.

In an 8-quart kettle, bring 3 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add lasagna noodles, 2 or 3 at a time. Return to a boil and boil uncovered, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or just until tender. Drain in colander. Rinse under cold water. Dry lasagna on paper towels. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg, nutmeg, salt, and remaining parsley. Mix.

In bottom of 9x13x2 inch baking dish, spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce. Layer with 6 lasagna noodles lengthwise and overlapping to cover. Spread with half of ricotta mixture, top with a third of Mozzarella. Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over cheese; sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Repeat layering starting with 6 lasagna and ending with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Spread with remaining sauce, top with rest of Mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover with foil, tucking round edge. Bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered 25 minutes longer or until bubbly. Cook 15 minutes before serving. Serves 8.