CABBAGE LASAGNA

2 tsp salt

1 head cabbage

1 lb lean ground beef

1 lb ground Italian sausage

4 Italian sausage links

2 tblsp olive oil

1 large onion, finely diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 28 oz cans Italian style tomatoes

2 - 6 oz cans tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp sugar (optional)

16 oz ricotta cheese

16 oz grated mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring water and salt to boil in large kettle. Separate leaves of cabbage head and add to boiling water. Cook 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Brown beef and ground sausage in large skillet. Remove from pan and drain drippings. Brown Italian sausage links in large skillet. Remove from pan and drain drippings. After links have cooled, slice in half length-wise.

Add oil to skillet. Sauté onion and garlic. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and seasonings. Stir well, and then add ground meats to sauce. Simmer over low heat 45 minutes to thicken.

Coat large roasting pan with non-stick spray. Ladle 1 cup of sauce into pan. Place the sliced sausage links in bottom of pan. Lay down a single layer of cabbage leaves over sauce and links (roughly 1/3 of cabbage). Dot with ½ the ricotta and ½ the mozzarella. Add 1/3 of remaining sauce, then cover with another layer of cabbage (roughly 1/3 of cabbage). Dot with remaining ricotta and mozzarella, then top with ½ of remaining sauce. Cover with remaining cabbage, then top with remaining sauce. Cover top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes, or until heated through.