Bill’s Lasagna

Meat Sauce
1 pound Italian Sweet or Mild sausage
2 cups chopped onions
Add another cup of diced veggies as you like such as bell peppers, carrots, etc.
Pasta sauce (Classico or Bertolli's)

Sauté all ingredients until onions are translucent.
Add some commercially made pasta sauce- I like Classico or Bertollis and don’t be afraid to add some red wine or water to thin out the sauce-the pasta needs it to rehydrate and not be crunchy! The longer the sauce cooks, the better the flavors combine.  Give it time to be really fine.

Béchamel Sauce
3 cups milk
Powdered nutmeg/mace
2 bay leaves (optional)
½ cup butter
¾ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Warm the milk in the microwave with the bay leaf and nutmeg mixed in.
In a non-stick pan, melt butter and then mix in flour.
Cook till a nice nutty aroma comes off the mixture and a nice soft brown color is achieved.
Slowly add the heated milk to the flour/butter mix. Stir all the time over medium heat till the béchamel comes together in a nice thick sauce.
Then add the cheese to it. Be careful about letting this sauce sit for a while as it will harden up on you and be difficult to work with.

Assembly
In an oblong baking dish which has been buttered or sprayed with non-stick:
Add some of the meat mixture.
Then a layer of the non-pre cooked Barilla pasta (1 pound box-I have started to use the whole grain pasta).
Then a layer of the béchamel.
Repeat for about three layers.
The last layer should just be pasta and then a layering of the béchamel.
Finish by dotting the top with butter and a sprinkle of Parmesan.

If you are cooking in a glass dish, put the lasagna in the oven on a cookie sheet. Bake according to your pasta’s instructions, usually 350 for about 50 minutes, covered with foil! Take the foil off for the last five to ten minutes of cooking for browning.

Let it sit for about ten minutes and then cut and enjoy!