Lasagna

1 batch Italian Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
12 lasagna noodles, half-cooked or even uncooked (it will work!)
1 ½ to 2 cups ricotta cheese
1 lb. grated or thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
at least ½ cup grated parmesan, Romano or asiago cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread a little sauce over the bottom of the pan. Cover with a single layer of noodles (1/3 of them. Break as necessary, to fit.) Place mounds of ricotta here and there. Use half. Add 1/3 the sauce, followed by ½ the mozzarella, randomly scattered, then another 1/3 noodles, the remaining ricotta, followed by another 1/3 the sauce, which gets covered by the remaining mozzarella. Add every last noodle, and the final sauce. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top. Bake for 45 minutes. Cover loosely with foil toward the end of the baking, if it is getting too brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 6-8 servings.

Italian Tomato Sauce:

2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 medium bell pepper, diced
2 medium stalks celery, minced
1 lb. mushrooms, chopped
1 to 2 medium zucchini, diced
2 to 3 medium sized ripe tomatoes, chopped
a handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 2 tsp dried basil—but fresh is so much better!)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 ½ tsp salt
1 (1 lb. 13 oz) can tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 tbsp honey
lots of black pepper
4 to 6 large cloves garlic, minced
½ cup freshly minced parsley

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or kettle. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, mushrooms, zucchini, herbs and salt and sauté over medium heat until the onion is very soft (8 to 10 minutes). Add tomatoes, tomato paste, honey and black pepper. Use a spoon to break up the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20-30 minutes. Add garlic, and cook about 10 minutes more. At this point, the sauce can sit for up to several hours, or be refrigerated for up to a week. Heat gently before serving, and add parsley at the last minute. 6-8 servings