Triple Cheesy -Saucy-Sausage Lasagna

Submitted by JamesDeansGirl

"Say that one 5 times fast:) Oh, this is so worth all the fat and calories--please use only the full-fat ingredients; there's a BIG difference in taste and texture. Every layer of chunky sausage, creamy cheese, and spicy sauce is sheer pleasure:) Enjoy!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 25mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 16 lasagna noodles, from a 16 oz. package (I use Barilla)
• 1 onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausage link, casings removed,crumbled
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3⁄4 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
• 3⁄4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, divided
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 2⁄3 cup milk
• 1 (26 ounce) jar marinara sauce (I use my mother's homemade recipe)
• 1 (32 ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese (I use Polly-O)
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese (I use Polly-O)
• 1⁄3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375*F.
2. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions; drain.
3. In a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onion and sausage until the sausage is no longer pink, 6-8 minutes; drain the fat.
4. Reduce the heat to medium; stir in the tomato paste, 1/2 tsp.
5. salt, 1/2 tsp.
6. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp.
7. Italian seasoning, and 1/4 tsp.
8. pepper.
9. Add the milk; cook, stirring, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
10. Reserve 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce; stir the remainder into the skillet.
11. Remove pan from heat.
12. Combine the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese, egg, and the remaining salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and pepper.
13. Spread 1/2 cup of the reserved marinara sauce in the bottom of an ungreased 13x9" baking dish; top with 4 whole noodles, 1/3 of the cheese mixture, and 1/3 of the sausage mixture.
14. Repeat twice, ending with the noodles; top with the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
15. Cover the pan with foil.
16. **(At this point, I usually like to refrigerate the lasagna for about 1 hour to let the flavors blend--if you choose to do it this way, preheat the oven when you're ready to bake.)** Bake until bubbly, 40 minutes; uncover the pan and bake 5-10 minutes longer.
17. Serve hot.

Reviews

[3ran28]

Wow! This is so good. It converted me to lasagna, which was quite a feat. My husband can't get enough of it. I've also made it several times for crowds, always with rave reviews. The only changes I make are about half of the ricotta and double the parmesan.

 

[DiXiEmEdiC911]

Don't know I never thought of adding italian sausage to lasagna. But this is without a doubt the best lasagna I have ever tasted, homemade or in a restaurant. Not greasy, VERY cheesy (which I love). My husband ate half a pan by himself! Thanks for sharing, A+