Meat Sauce: 

Brown the meat in a large pot over medium heat until no pink remains. Break up the meat with a potato masher to remove the chunks.  

Remove from the heat and drain the excess juice.  Remove meat to a bowl.  

In the same pan, heat oil and add the onion, carrots, and zucchini. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

If using red wine, add to the pan and stir up all the brown bits from the bottom.  Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated.  

Add tomato paste and stir for a few minutes to lightly brown the paste.  

Add crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes if using, and Italian seasoning and stir until combined.  Return the sautéed meat to the pan.  

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer for 30 minutes to allow flavours to blend.  

Taste, and if the sauce seems too acidic, add the sugar. 

Add whipping cream or whole milk and stir to combine.  

The sauce can be quite thick, depending on which tomato product you use. The fresh lasagna sheets will absorb liquid as the lasagna bakes, so you want the sauce to be slightly runny rather than too thick. If your sauce seems quite thick, add ¼ to ½ cups water or beef broth to thin it out.  

Filling:

Mix Ricotta cheese, egg, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.  

Assemble:

Divide the pasta sheets into three groups.  

In a deep 9×13-inch baking dish, add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of the pan.  

Layer with ⅓ of the lasagna sheets, trimming them to fit. Evenly space the little trimmed pieces over the noodle layer to use them up.  

Sprinkle with a handful of grated mozzarella cheese.

Add another layer of pasta sheets and cover with 2 cups of sauce.  

Spoon the entire ricotta mixture over the sauce, lightly spreading to get it into all the corners.

Sprinkle with another handful of mozzarella cheese.  

Place the last layer of pasta sheets over the cheese. 

Add the rest of the meat sauce, and cover with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.  

You can prepare the dish up to this stage and refrigerate until ready to bake.  Allow the pan to come to room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes before baking.  

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  

Lightly spray a layer of tin foil with cooking spray and cover the pan.  This keeps the melted cheese from sticking to the foil when you remove it.  

If your pan is very full, place it on a baking sheet to prevent the sauce from spilling onto your oven floor.  

Place covered lasagna in the oven for 30 minutes and then remove foil.  

Continue to bake for approximately 30 minutes until it’s bubbling and golden brown.  

Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.