Meat Wins! Lasagna

Preheat your oven to 350°F and place an oven rack on the center rack. Lightly oil the inside of a 9×13 baking dish with olive oil, or cooking spray. You don’t want the cheese to glue itself to the sides.
In a small mixing bowl combine the ricotta, Kosher salt, Italian seasoning, minced parsley, grated pecorino romano, and garlic powder. Mix it well, and set it aside. In another bowl, stir together the grated mozzarella and aged parmesan. Set that aside, too.
Prepare your lasagna noodles to package directions (if they don’t say to salt the pasta water, then I am telling you to salt the pasta water). Once the noodles are al dente and drained, set them aside to cool slightly and then get to the assembly station!
Ladle some – about a cup – of the sauce into the prepared baking dish and spread it around. Cover it with a single layer of the lasagna noodles, overlapping them slightly. Cut them if needed – make sure the entire surface is covered. Sprinkle over about 1/4 of the grated cheese over the top of the noodles, covering them evenly. Next, ladle more sauce over the cheese and use the back of the ladle to spread it around, into the corners. Do this twice, then spread on the ricotta mixture, evenly. 
Continue layering until you’ve filled the pan or used all of the ingredients – making sure to end with cheese. I like to finish it up by drizzling a bit of reserved meat sauce over the top and I also sprinkle a little of my finishing pepper blend over the top too, available soon!
Tear off a piece of foil large enough to cover and oil one side of it. Cover the lasagna with the foil oil side down and wrap it tightly around the edges. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for 30-35 more minutes until browned and bubbly. Not too long, or the cheese will separate! Remove and let rest for 15 minutes, then serve in squares. Dassit!


Homemade Marinara Sauce
Place a 5 qt. dutch oven over medium heat and drizzle in one teaspoon of olive oil. Let the oil heat until it’s shimmering, then add the diced onion and green bell pepper. Add a pinch of salt to encourage the vegetables to sweat and stir them around, cooking until they soften and become translucent – about 5-7 minutes or so. 
Add your ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into small pieces. Season with a teaspoon of salt and a couple of pinches of black pepper. Cook until no more pink remains.
After the meat has browned, pour it into a fine mesh strainer – along with the peppers and onions – to allow the fat to drain completely. Shake it a bit to make sure as much is gone as possible. Set it aside while we bloom our tomato paste. 
Add the remaining olive oil to the pot, then the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the tomato paste. Stir the tomato paste around, allowing it to coat the garlic. It should start to deepen in color and become very fragrant.
Move the paste and garlic over a bit and add the fennel seeds. Allow them to toast, stirring the entire time, for just a minute or two, then stir everything together to combine. Return the drained ground beef, peppers, and onions to the pan. 
Pour in the peeled tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, and red wine vinegar. Stir it all together, then stir in all of the dry seasonings. Once everything is well combined, taste it. Add the brown sugar if it’s bitter or acidic. Add a little more salt if you think it needs it, then toss in the parmesan rind and cover with a lid, reducing the heat to medium-low. 
Cook for two hours, then uncover, stir, and taste. Add the remaining sugar if needed, and adjust for salt or any other seasonings. Cover and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about a third, usually around 2 more hours or so. 
Once the sauce has been reduced remove the parmesan rind and stir in the minced basil. Cook for another 15 minutes, and you’re done. Dassit!