Lasagna with Italian sausages

Ingredients:

Sauce

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 115 g pancetta, diced
• 2 large onions, diced
• Coarse salt
• 4 large cloves of garlic, crushed into a pulp
• 4 cans (800 g each) of canned peeled tomatoes in their own juice, preferably San Marzano or cream

Lasagna

• Coarse salt
• 700 g dried lasagna sheets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 450 gr. Italian pork sausage mince
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 pinches of red flakes pepper
• 350 g cremini mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced
• 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise, then sliced ​​diagonally into about 1cm thick slices.
• 2 tbsp. ricotta cheese
• 2 cups finely grated mature Parmesan cheese
• 2 large eggs
• 6 - 7 fresh leaves basilica, cut into thin strips
• 450 g coarsely grated mozzarella cheese (about 4 cups)

Preparation:

1. Prepare the sauce: Pour olive oil into a large saucepan and add the pancetta. Cook over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes. Add the onion, sprinkle generously with salt, and toss with the olive oil. Cook, stirring, for 6-7 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.
2. Puree the tomatoes in a blender and add to the saucepan with the onions. Add 2-3 cups of water and season with salt to taste. Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, at a low simmer for 2-3 hours.
3. Prepare lasagna: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Cook the lasagna noodles, submerging them in the boiling water one at a time, for 6-7 minutes. Cool the noodles in a bowl of melted water to stop the dough from cooking, then transfer to a serving tray.
4. Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, stirring, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
5. Drain the fat from the pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, half the crushed garlic, and a pinch of pepper flakes. Heat to medium-high heat and fry until golden brown. Remove the garlic from the pan and discard.
   
   Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Then sauté the zucchini in the same skillet with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper flakes, after sautéing the garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil.
6. Mix in a separate bowl ricotta, half the Parmesan, eggs, basil and 1 teaspoon salt.
7. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spread a couple of tablespoons of tomato sauce over the bottom of a 23 x 33 cm baking dish. Lay down a layer of lasagna noodles. Spread one-third of the cheese mixture on top. Lay down another layer of lasagna in the opposite direction. Spread a little tomato sauce over the top, then layer each layer with one-third of the ground meat, mushrooms, and zucchini.
   
   Top with a layer of mozzarella and a little of the remaining Parmesan cheese. Continue layering ingredients in the same order, finishing with the final layers of lasagna noodles, tomato sauce, and cheese. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
8. Place the lasagna on a baking sheet in the oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until all ingredients are heated through. Remove the foil 15 minutes before the end of cooking and bake the cheese until golden brown. Let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes before serving, then cut into pieces.