Hearty Sausage and Cheese Lasagna

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Remove with a slotted spoon. Discard drippings in pan.
2. Add onions to same pan; cook and stir over medium heat until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, celery, parsley, bay leaf, brown sugar, oregano, salt and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf.
3. Remove 1 cup sauce from pan. Stir cooked sausage into remaining sauce. Spread reserved sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with three noodles and half of each of the following: sausage mixture, ricotta, mozzarella and provolone. Repeat layers (dish will be full).
4. Bake, covered, 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.