Best Lasagna Recipe

Noodles and Cheese:
1 pound lasagna noodles
16 ounces Parmesan cheese
16 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
16 ounce cottage cheese

Meat Sauce:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 pound mild sausage
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
2 teaspoons salt
Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Cream Sauce:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse with hot water. Drain again.
2. To prepare the meat sauce, brown ground beef in a skillet. Add onion and garlic. Drain grease and add sausage, tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir in oregano, basil, salt, pepper, fennel seed and parsley. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
3. To prepare the cream sauce, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour. Cook 1 minute. Add milk and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick.
4. Preheat oven to 375F. To assemble the lasagna, pour 1/3 of meat sauce in bottom of a 15-by-12-inch pan. Lay 6 or 7 noodles over sauce. Pour 1/2 the remaining meat sauce over noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 the Parmesan cheese. Add another layer of noddles. Sprinkle on mozzarella. Pour hot cream sauce on top. Layer with remaining noodles, cottage cheese, remaining meat sauce and remaining Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake until cheese melts, about 30 minutes.

Serves 12.