American Lasagna

I've always been intimidated by lasagna, until now that is.. I decided to try this recipe not feeling too confident that it would be edible. To my surprise my family loved it, including my kids which are very, very picky eaters.  My husband said this recipe is a "winner and needs to be on Tucker Tasties." Thank you "Food Nanny" Liz Edmunds.

Ingredients

1 pound ground lean beef
1 (26-ounce) jar meatless spaghetti sauce or marinara sauce
1 pound uncooked lasagna noodles
3 bay leaves
1 (15-ounce) package ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups (1 pound) freshly grated Parmesan cheese/mozzarella cheese
3 Tbsp. butter (optional)

1. Brown the meat in a large skillet. Drain off the fat. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, add bay leaves and simmer for 1hour.
2. Remove 16 noodles from the package and cook according to package directions. Drain. Lay out the cooked pasta in a single layer on a 15-inch sheet of aluminum foil to cool. (The foil will be reused to cover the baking dish.)
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
4. Mix the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese(1/2cup), eggs and pepper in a large bowl.
5. To assemble the lasagna, spread one-quarter of the meat sauce in the prepared baking dish. Arrange four noodles lengthwise over the sauce, overlapping the edges. Spread one-fourth of the cheese mixture and sprinkle 1 cup of the Parmesan/mozzarella cheese over the pasta. Repeat the layers three more times, ending with the Parmesan/mozzarella. Dot with the butter around the edges, if desired.
6. Cover with foil and bake 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with a green salad and hot Italian bread.