Lasagna Bolognese

If you guys are looking for the BEST Lasagna Bolognese recipe, this is it! There were a lot of changes from the original recipe including - no italian sausage, no ricotta cheese, onion and garlic powder instead of onion and garlic, no celery or carrots, monterey jack cheese in place of ricotta cheese and no tomato paste or parsley. This Lasagna recipe is literally to DIE for and you will be wanting and craving seconds! 

This did take a long time to prep and bake - probably 2 hours total - but it was worth it. The sauce is homemade with a lot of ingredients. We served our Lasagna Bolognese with garlic bread. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Bolognese:
1 pound ground beef
1 tbsp onion powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 15oz cans of crushed tomatoes
2 15oz cans of tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup dried basil
1 tbsp beef bouillon (I boiled 1 cup water on the stove, added a beef bouillon, mixed it, and then scooped 1 tbsp to use for this mixture)
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 whole bay leaf

Ingredients for cheese filling:
3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup dried oregano
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Ingredients for the layers:
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
15 classic lasagna noodles

*Everything in the photo is not even all of the ingredients listed. I didn't even realize that I was missing some ingredients so I apologize. I told you there was a lot!

Directions:
Place the lasagna noodles into the bottom of a long pan. Pour hot tap water over the noodles until they are submerged. Let them soak for 30 minutes. Do not bake them beforehand - this process is what makes them soft. 

In a large pot, brown the ground beef and onion powder over medium heat. Add the garlic powder and red pepper flakes and cook 30 more seconds. Drain grease.

Add all remaining Bolognese ingredients to the pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiled, remove lid, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes - stir occasionally. Bolognese should be reduced but still saucy. 

While sauce is simmering, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, add the cheese filling ingredients and mix until combined. 

To assemble, lightly grease a 9x13 pan. Spread 1.5 cups of the meat sauce in the bottom of the pan in a thin layer. Place 4 noodles lengthwise and one 5th noodle at the bottom. Spread with a third of the cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese and 1/3 of the parmesan cheese. Repeat layers three times. To finish, top with remaining meat sauce, remaining mozzarella, and remaining parmesan cheese. Place aluminum foil over the pan and secure tightly. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Remove foil and bake 30 more minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve with garlic bread.