In a large pot or dutch oven, brown ground meat. Drain any excess grease, if necessary.
Add onion, garlic, and spices, saute until onion is translucent.
Add tomato products, water, and half and half. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer and simmer until flavors are melded, about 15 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, combine all ingredients for the cheese mixture (ricotta, parmesan, egg, spinach, salt and pepper).
To Assemble
In a 9x13 casserole dish, spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce, avoiding any large meat chunks.
Arrange about 3-4 lasagna noodles in a single layer on top of the sauce. The number of noodles will vary depending on the shape you are using. They should just form a single layer with minimal overlap. You might have to break some
Spread half of the cheese mixture evenly over the noodles. I find this works best if I use my hands.
Sprinkle 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese over the cheese mixture.
Layer about 2-3 cups of sauce over the cheeses.
Repeat laying down a layer of noodles, spreading the cheese mixture, sprinkling mozzarella, and then layering sauce.
Place a final layer of lasagna noodles down.
Spread remaining sauce on top.
Sprinkle remaining cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the lasagna.
Bake for 25 minutes covered with foil, then remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes or until the cheese is slightly browned and the lasagna is bubbly.
Sprinkle chopped parsley on top for garnish.
Video
Notes
You can replace the 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with diced tomatoes or 15 ounces of fresh or frozen tomatoes. I usually use tomatoes from my garden that I have stored in my freezer.I like the texture of the whole tomatoes if you don't chop them.1 package of regular lasagna noodles is usually around 1 pound, 14-16 ounces. If you are using fresh pasta, this lasagna recipe will use half of this Homemade Pasta recipe. I make the dough ahead of time, either the day before or the morning before and keep it in the fridge. When it is time to press it and boil it if I have halved the above homemade pasta recipe, I divide the dough into two pieces (4 if you made the entire recipe). I press each piece with my pasta press until they are about as thin as a slip-pat baking sheet (to #4 on my Kitchen Aid pasta press). I cut each piece into three sections (six total). After boiling, two sections make up a layer of the lasagna.