⅛teaspoonred pepper flakes, these do not add spice – just flavor
1tablespoondried basil
½tablespoondried oregano
½poundground pork
½poundground beef, I used 80% lean or lean ground turkey
12curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 1 inch lengths
1cupshredded mozzarella cheese
½cupgrated Parmesan cheese
¾cupricotta cheese, do not use fat-free
Instructions
Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a blender or food processor until they are coarsely ground and no large pieces remain (in a food processor, that is about 12 pulses).
Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until it is lightly browned and no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.
Scatter the broken lasagna noodles over the meat and then pour in the ground tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Stir in the basil and oregano. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
Off the heat, stir in half the mozzarella and half of the parmesan. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan.
Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve.