1 lb. sweet or hot Italian sausage, skinned
3/4 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1-2 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tbsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 (35 oz.) can Italian style plum tomatoes, mashed
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
2 (8 oz.) cans seasoned tomato sauce
1/2 c. water
12 lasagna noodles
1 (16 oz.) carton Ricotta or cottage cheese
1 egg
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 lb. Mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Saute sausage, beef, onion and garlic until well browned. Add next 11 ingredients and simmer covered about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cook noodles according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Combine Ricotta cheese with egg, parsley and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

To assemble, spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce on the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with half the Ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of Mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over Mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.