Well, my lasagna recipe doesn't call for a "jar of sauce" .
The recipe begins with:
Sautee 1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper and 1/2 a cup of chopped yellow onion in 2 T of olive oil.
When soft add 3 clove of garlic crushed, saute 2 more minutes and add 2 large cans of crushed Italian plum tomatoes ( the sauce will only be as good as the tomatoes are!) and one small can of tomato paste....fill the can with dry red wine and add that too...add
1 bay leaf,
1 teaspoon of basil leaves
1 teaspoon of oregano
2 teaspoons of chopped parsley.
Simmer very slowly (uncovered) for 45 minutes.
Make lasagna, and serve any extra sauce on the side.

And if there are still leftovers I freeze that too.
Linda C

If you just want a basic tomato sauce for lasagna, here's one that makes 5 cups & is enough if you're making 16 oz lasagna noodles.

1 TBL olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 TBL tomato paste
1 TBL chopped basil or 1 1/2 tsp dried (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp oregano (or more to taste)
Pepper to taste

Heat the oil & saute the onions until very light brown. Add the garlic & cook another minute but don't burn. Add the remaining ingredients & stir well. Taste & adjust seasonings.~~ *You can also add 1 minced bell pepper, some shredded carrots, etc., whatever you like.

Naturally you can saute Italian sausages and/or ground beef & then simmer it in the sauce. Then build your lasagna using mozzarella & any other cheeses your recipe calls for.

this is the marinara sauce Mom always made for lasagne (i think it came from an old fanny farmer cookbood but i'm not sure) and i use it for that too, of course. it should make the right amount you need and i often make a double batch and freeze half of it to use on linguine and similar things...

MomÂs Lasagna

Sauté
1 medium chopped onion
2 cloves crushed garlic in about 2 T olive oil
and then brown 1# ground beef (I usually do ½ beef and ½ sweet sausage)

Drain the meat and then add and simmer for about 1 ½ hours:
28 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
2 C water (I use 1 C water and 1 C dry red wine)
3 tsp salt
1/8 tsp red pepper
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp dried basil
a bay leaf

Alice, I was coming back to look for a sauce recipe and this one is from Michael Chiarello on Food TV. I know he has another one, his mama's but here's a start. With 28oz plus 1/4 cup you have 32oz to start.

Quick Tomato Sauce
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 3 1/2 cups
User Rating: No Rating

1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or garlic oil
1 jalapeno pepper, optional
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup drained and chopped oil-packed dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano leaves

Open the can of tomatoes and pour off the juice into a bowl. Use the lid to press against the tomatoes to extract as much juice as possible. Then use your hand to squeeze the tomatoes to a pulp. Reserve the juice and pulp separately and set the empty can aside.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. If using the jalapeno, tilt the pan to collect the oil in a little pool against the side and drop the jalapeno into the oil. Cook until light brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the jalapeno and reserve.
Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly until light gold. Add the bay leaf. Add the tomato juice and bring to a boil. Simmer rapidly for several minutes. Add the crushed tomato pulp. Then rinse the remaining pulp out of the can by filling it halfway with water and add that to the pan. Add the jalapeno, and salt and pepper, to taste, and return to a boil. Add the dried tomatoes and stir. Lower the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, until the mixture thickens and the tomatoes have turned an orange-red versus the pale blue-red they were straight from the can, about 30 minutes. Add the oregano halfway through the cooking.
Discard the bay leaf. Peel, seed, and mash the jalapeno with a spoonful of the sauce and pass at the table so diners can add as much heat as they like to their plates.
Variation for quick tomato sauce: Substitute 2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes for the canned tomatoes. Peel the tomatoes, cut in half crosswise, and squeeze out the juice and seeds over a sieve suspended over a bowl to collect the juice. Chop the tomatoes. Proceed as directed, omitting the dried tomatoes and using jalapeno, if desired. You should have about 2 1/4 cups sauce. The recipe may be increased proportionately.

Episode#: MO0610
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