Ina Garten's Lasagna with Sausage

 

 It has literally been years since I've made lasagna, but the family was craving it so I decided to give Ina's Lasagna with Sausage a go!

Ina uses turkey sausage for her recipe, but I decided to use regular sweet Italian pork sausage for lots of reasons: 1) we love pork sausage 2) couldn't find turkey sausage and not sure I'd like it in lasagna  3) price of groceries is outrageous anymore and I just buy the best quality products I can get on sale. I think everyone should buy and use what they like and I also think we have to consider the price of groceries more than we have in years past. 

My family likes a sausage sauce way better than any beef based sauces. I will tell you right now that this sauce was incredible! I think a lot of it had to do with the good quality sausage I used, so try to buy a good sausage.

I always cook my lasagna noodles to al dente, but Ina had me trying a new method. Ina says to soak your lasagna noodles in hot tap water for 20 minutes. If you like your lasagna noodles very al dente then this would be a great method for you! My husband loved how toothsome the lasagna noodles were. They were a little too toothsome to me and I'm looking forward to the leftovers b ecause I think the noodles will soften as they sit overnight and soak up the sauce.

All in all, this is a wonderfully classic lasagna recipe! The flavors are all on point and we all really loved it. I think this would be a wonderful dish to deliver to friends and family and I can definitely see myself keeping this recipe in my backpocket. I truly think it's a recipe that everyone would like. 

 

Lasagna with Sausage

Adapted from Food Network

by Ina Garten

Serves 8-12

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 chopped yellow onion

2 chopped garlic cloves

1 chopped red bell pepper 

1-1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage or turkey sausage*

1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree

1 (6oz) can tomato paste

1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, divided

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper

1/2 pound lasagna noodles

15 ounces ricotta cheese

3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling

1 egg

1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

*Notes: Ina directs you to soak your noodles in hot tap water. If you enjoy a more toothsome noodle then this would work wonderfully for you. If you enjoy a softer noodle, then go ahead and boil your noodles and follow all the other instructions. I spiced our lasagna up with a heavy dose of red pepper flakes, but feel free to spice yours up how you like!

Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes over medium low heat, until translucent/soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1-1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9x12 inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one third of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan (or amount to your liking). Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

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