Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Fabulous Lasagna

I think Lasagna is my favorite Italian dish. I love it!  A friend of mine had a recipe on her blog that looked absolutely divine! I started to make it, and realized I didn't have a few of the ingredients, and wanted to make it for dinner.  So I ended up creating my own recipe.  I think it turned out pretty well if I do say so myself!  My family sure loved it.

My husband loves the flavor of the Italian sausage. It does come with it's own seasoning, so if you like your lasagna a little more light in the flavor, use about 1/2 tsp less Italian seasoning. We like ours full of flavor!  You can use ground beef if you prefer.  We also like our lasagna super cheesy, so I used 4 cups of mozzarella but feel free to use less.

This would also be a super easy freezer meal. Double the recipe and save some for a rainy day.  Just wrap in foil/plastic wrap and freeze before baking.  Thaw and bake at the normal temp and time. Enjoy! 

Fabulous Lasagna

9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 lb ground Mild Italian Sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese (I used the whole milk one)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-4  cups mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 
Cook noodles according to package directions.
 
In a skillet cook the sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Drain.

Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, combine the egg, ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning and salt. Drain noodles and rinse in cold water. Coat a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread a thin layer of meat sauce on the bottom. Top with three noodles, 1/3 of each: meat sauce,  ricotta cheese mixture, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan. Repeat layers twice.

Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes.

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