Million Dollar Lasagna

 Million Dollar Lasagna recipe—rich, cheesy, and packed with layers of flavor!

Ingredients

Meat Sauce:

1 lb ground beef

1 lb Italian sausage (mild or hot)

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (24 oz) jar marinara sauce

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp sugar (optional, to balance acidity)

Cheese Mixture:

1 (16 oz) container cottage cheese (or ricotta)

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup sour cream

1 egg

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional)

Other Ingredients:

12 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

2. Make the meat sauce: In a large skillet, cook the ground beef, sausage, and onion over medium heat until browned. Drain excess grease. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in marinara sauce, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Prepare the cheese mixture: In a bowl, mix cottage cheese (or ricotta), cream cheese, sour cream, egg, Parmesan, and parsley until smooth.

4. Assemble the lasagna:

Spread a thin layer of meat sauce at the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Add 3 cooked lasagna noodles.

Spread ⅓ of the cheese mixture over the noodles.

Add ⅓ of the meat sauce.

Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella.

Repeat layers twice, ending with mozzarella on top.

5. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.

6. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.