Heat a large pot over medium. Add the ground beef and Italian sausage. Break the meat into small pieces and brown until well-caramelized, about 8–10 minutes.

Drain excess fat from the pot to avoid a greasy sauce.

Add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté 2–3 minutes until softened and fragrant.

Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and 1/2 cup water. Mix until smooth.

Season the sauce with sugar, dried basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tbsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley.

Bring the sauce to a low boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 1½ hours. Stir occasionally so nothing sticks and flavors concentrate.

While the sauce simmers, make the ricotta filling: in a medium bowl combine ricotta, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Stir until smooth. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook until al dente, about 8–10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Drain noodles and rinse briefly with cold water. Lay them flat on a baking sheet or toss lightly with oil so they don’t stick.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce across the bottom.

Layer 3 noodles over the sauce, slightly overlapping. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Repeat two more times: meat sauce, noodles, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan. For the top layer, spread the remaining meat sauce over the noodles and finish with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. Bake covered for 25 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 25 minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbling.

Let the lasagna rest for 15 minutes before slicing.