Lasagna- Possibly THE Best

My husband and I have been battling some nasty bug all week and I was finally feeling good enough to make us a good meal.
We ate vegetarian all week so on Saturday we both wanting something with meat and almost at the same time both said we wanted lasagna.
I have a confession to make, I haven't made lasagna since we've been married. Dun dun dun....
I have made a chicken alfredo one for our old church small group, but never have I made a beef, red sauce one.
I have to say that I am not a huge fan of ricotta cheese. It has something to do with the texture of it I think. I found that The Pioneer Woman uses cottage cheese in her lasagna as well as sausage...she NEVER fails me!

My husband and I both discovered that this may be the best lasagna we've ever had (and not just because The PW says so). It was so easy, not overwhelming with tomato sauce, and had lots of cheese. Music to our ears.

Here is what you'll need:
-1-1/2 pound Ground Beef (she calls for Hot, but my husband has heartburn a lot, so we decided to go with mild)
-1 pound Breakfast Sausage
-2 cloves Garlic, Minced
-2 cans (14.5 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
-2 cans (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
-2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
-2 Tablespoons Dried Basil
-1 teaspoon Salt
-3 cups Lowfat Cottage Cheese
-2 whole Beaten Eggs
-1/2 cup Grated (not Shredded) Parmesan Cheese
-2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley
-1 teaspoon Salt
-1 pound Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
-1 package (10 Ounce) Lasagna Noodles
-(add 1/2 Teaspoon Salt And 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil To Pasta Water)

Preparation:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, combine ground beef, sausage, and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain half the fat; less if you’re feeling naughty. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons parsley, basil and salt. After adding the tomatoes, the sauce mixture should simmer for 45 minutes while you are working on the other steps.
In a medium bowl, mix cottage cheese, beaten eggs, grated Parmesan, 2 more tablespoons parsley, and 1 more teaspoon salt. Stir together well. Set aside. Cook lasagna until “al dente” (not overly cooked).
To assemble:
Arrange 4 cooked lasagna noodles in the bottom of a baking pan, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half the cottage cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread evenly. Cover cottage cheese with a layer of mozzarella cheese. Spoon a little less than half the meat/sauce mixture over the top.
Repeat, ending with meat/sauce mixture. Sprinkle top generously with extra Parmesan.
Either freeze, refrigerate for up to two days, or bake immediately: 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until top is hot and bubbly.

Seriously, how good does that sound??
It made a ton so we have been eating off of it all weekend and will be having it for dinner tonight!

(I took this picture the day after I made it when we had it for lunch, but still looks SO good.)

I am telling you, you need to make this and let me know if it replaces your trusty lasagna recipe.

Original Recipe: The Pioneer Woman Lasagna