Homemade lasagna with meat sauce and a ricotta cheese mixture

Set a Dutch oven over medium-high heat with a little oil and let it heat up.

Saute the chopped white onion, parsley and basil a couple of minutes.

Add the minced garlic for about 30 seconds.

Add the ground beef with the black pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, salt and chili flakes, break it down and cook it through, about five minutes, then drain all of the fat.

Stir in the green chiles and give it a couple of minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes, the half cup of water swirled out of the can, the tomato sauce and the sugar, and mix.

Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more sugar if it is too acidy.

Add the bay leaves, reduce to the lowest setting, cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Bring a pot of water to a boil with salt, add the lasagna and cook about eight minutes, moving them around so they do not stick, then drain.

Mix the ricotta with the fresh parsley, a little salt and black pepper and the quarter cup of Parmesan, then mix in the egg.

In a separate bowl mix three quarters of a cup each of the two grated cheeses.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Spray the baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread about one and a half cups of sauce evenly over the bottom.

Lay about four pastas on, dried off, then spread about one cup of the ricotta mixture over them.

Add a few slices of provolone, then mozzarella, then the Parmesan and Romano mixture, then sauce, and repeat; three layers in all, with mozzarella on top of the last one.

Top with fresh parsley, spray the foil with nonstick spray and cover tightly.

Bake at 375F for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes.

Let it sit 15 minutes before cutting.