Once I’d mastered baked ziti, I figured lasagna was the next natural step. I finally bought some heavier 9” x 13” metal pans, so people wouldn’t keep assuming I ordered from an Italian take-out place. Then I just made an awesome portobello mushroom and sausage sauce, mixed some ricotta with herbs and layered it all with noodles. I’m not trying to trick you in the recipe below – I did NOT cook the noodles the first time I made lasagna. Later that year, at family Christmas, I mentioned to my Aunt Mary Ellen, a very good cook, that I’d made lasagna. She started talking about what a pain it is to manage the hot, wet noodles. I stayed quiet, not wanting to embarrass myself. She’d just taught me that you’re supposed to cook the noodles BEFORE putting them in the lasagna. Oops. Turns out if you make your sauce liquid enough, which I did I suppose, then you don’t really need to cook those noodles.
I strongly recommend doubling this recipe. Even if you don’t live around 7 or 8 hungry college students, this is a lot of work for just one meal. You can always wrap the second pan in aluminum foil and freeze.
1 lb. Italian sausage (ground)
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
30 oz spaghetti sauce
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 Vidalia onion (diced)
portobello mushrooms (chopped)
2 eggs
16 oz. ricotta cheese
¼ c. chopped parsley
¼ c. grated parm. cheese
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
basil
oregano
salt
red pepper
black pepper
olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 and drizzle olive oil in pan, heat to medium
Add onions, mushrooms then garlic on top, sauté until browned, push to the sides of the pan.
If you could not find ground Italian sausage, cut slit in casing, and squeeze out sausage. Add to pan,
Meanwhile, mix ricotta, 2 eggs, parmesan cheese, 1 c. mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper and parsley in a bowl, set aside.
Once sausage is fully browned, with no pink, add spaghetti sauce and pinches of basil, oregano and red pepper. mix.
Coat bottom of a 9 by 13-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with layer of sauce, then 3 lasagna noodles. Pour more meat sauce over noodles, then spread a third of ricotta mixture. Drizzle more sauce, then place 3 more noodles. Next, coat noodles in watery sauce (add more water if not enough), then layer with cheese, then more sauce, then cheese, then noodles, then the rest of the sauce.
Cover in aluminum foil. If out, as usual, just place a baking sheet on top of pan. Bake 45 minutes.
Remove, add 1c mozzarella cheese and return to the oven uncovered for 15 minutes
Take out, let sit, 10-15 minutes, no matter how good it will smell.
Eat!
Eat leftover! Tastes amazing the next day.