Beef Sausage Lasagna

Instructions

1. Beef Sauce: Combine beef, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds and salt in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. In a large pan or tilt skillet over high heat, brown beef quickly, breaking into ½” chunks and stirring until internal temperature reaches 155°F.
3. Add marinara sauce and tomatoes. Simmer 20 minutes.
4. Assembly: Squeeze thawed spinach to remove most of liquid. Combine with ricotta and eggs in a large bowl, mixing to break up eggs and spinach until evenly distributed.
5. Using non-stick cooking spray, grease two (4-inch tall) steam table pans.
6. Spread 4 cups of beef/tomato mixture in each pan. Cover with 8 oz. of lasagna noodles in a single layer, or overlapping slightly, in each pan. Top the noodles with 6 cups of tomato/meat mixture in each pan. Then layer ½ of the ricotta mixture dividing between the two pans. Sprinkle 4 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over the ricotta dividing between the two pans. Repeat with noodles, meat, ricotta and mozzarella. Cover with the remaining noodles and all the remaining beef/tomato mixture. Reserve the remaining mozzarella cheese.
7. Cover each pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 350°F for 60 minutes, until noodles are tender and interior of lasagna has reached 165°F.
8. Remove the foil. Top each lasagna with the remaining mozzarella. Bake 10 more minutes until cheese is melted and begins to brown. Remove from oven and hold 15 minutes.
9. Cut each pan into pieces 5 x 5.