I was extremely sad to learn a few years ago that one of my favorite restaurants in New York City called Teodora had closed down. It boasted authentic food from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. I had ordered their classic homemade meat lasagna, that was truly to this day, the best lasagna I’d ever had in my life. The restaurant itself felt like you were visiting an Italian Nonna’s house as it was decorated with vintage Italian portraits, old dishes, and had lightly dimmed lights. Teodora was also quaint and small. It’s the kind of place you would go for a romantic and intimate dinner. Upon trying their lasagna you could taste the freshness of the meat and you could taste the milk in the cheese.

I remember they made a mistake on our order the first night I dined here and they fixed it and provided us with a glass of moscato. Being 2004, I had never had moscato yet as it wasn’t so prevalently found in South Florida and it would be my very first introduction to this heavenly dessert wine that they served us with our dessert. It’s a true shame that this restaurant had to close. Their Italian food was truly the best. This attempt at their lasagna is the closest I could get. Enjoy!

Homemade Meat Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 large white onion diced
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 pound lasagna noodles
• 30 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 pound thinly sliced mozzarella cheese about 24 slices
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare

1. Firstly, in a large pot over medium heat, add in ground sausage and ground beef. Use a spoon to break up the meat into small pieces. Add in onion and garlic and cook until meat is well browned, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar, fresh basil, fennel, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and wine*. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1-4 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, place lasagna noodles into the bottom of a pan. Pour hot tap water directly over the noodles, making sure the pasta is completely immersed in the water. Let them soak for 30 minutes, then drain and discard water.
3. Then in a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and nutmeg. Refrigerate until ready to assemble lasagna.
4. Next, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a deep 9×13 pan.
5. To assemble, spread about 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Place 4 noodles on top. Spread with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with 1/4 of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Repeat layering two more times to create three complete layers. To finish, place a final layer of pasta, topped with another 1 cup of meat sauce to cover the pasta. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil.
6. Last but not least, in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes to allow cheese to brown. Serve hot.