Grandma's Lasagna

                      Pictured with Hillbilly Garlic Bread and Flaming Canoes


My Grandmother owned a restaurant years ago, and her biggest seller was her Lasagna.
To this day, I have never had it's equal in any restaurant. The dark, rich sauce is perfect.
When she gave me the recipe, I was surprised to learn that she used  Lawry's Spaghetti Sauce mix  It didn't taste like a mix to me.
But I discovered, it was the technique she used, of caramelizing the mushroom sauce that gave it a rich, unequaled flavor.
This is my most requested recipe, and easy to make. This will make 2 pans.
If you can't find Lawry's- look for a mix that includes mushrooms in the ingredients.

Ingredients:                                                                                    
2lbs. ground beef                                                                           
1lb lasagna noodles- cooked                                                          
2 packages Lawry's spaghetti sauce mix                                         
1-8oz. can of mushrooms-drained and chopped                             
2-29oz. cans tomato sauce                                                            
6oz. grated Parmesan cheese                                                         
16oz, shredded mozzarella                                                             

Preparation:
Brown the beef in a skillet and drain.
To a 4quart pan, add the beef, mushrooms and tomato sauce. Stir in the Lawry's mix.
Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. The sauce will thicken quickly.
This is where you will begin to caramelize the natural sugars in the sauce.
It will happen in the bottom of the pot.

There will be a brown glaze that begins to form. Scrape the bottom, and stir this into the sauce.
Wait about 5 minutes, and do it again. Don't let it get too brown or it will taste burnt.
As the sauce gets thicker you will have to scrape the bottom more frequently.

Keep repeating, until the sauce becomes a deep dark red. about 30 minutes more.
Remove from heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
In 2 Lasagna pans, place a layer of noodles, thin layer of sauce, noodles, etc. Until you have 3 layers of each. The last being, a heavy layer of sauce.
Top with mozzarella, and bake for about 45 minutes, or until the cheese just begins to brown.
Serve with a salad and garlic bread.

  I tried to show the caramelized sauce in the bottom, but it came out too fuzzy.

The sauce went from the color of tomato sauce, to a thick, rich, deep red sauce.Smells great.

           Turn the burner off and add the Parmesan cheese. Stir and set aside.

         Layer and bake until the cheese just begins to brown. About 45 minutes.