Shortcut Sausage Lasagna Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in pasta sauce and water. Simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine next 8 ingredients. , Spread 1/2 cup meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with 3 noodles and a third of the cheese mixture, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice. , Bake, covered, 45 minutes. Uncover; bake until a thermometer reads 160°, about 10 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, cook and crumble sausage with onion over medium heat until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes; drain. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook and stir 1 minute. , Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 10-15 minutes., In a bowl, mix egg, ricotta cheese, 1-1/4 cups Parmesan cheese and the remaining pepper. Spread 1-1/2 cups meat sauce into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Layer with 4 noodles, 1-1/2 cups ricotta cheese mixture, 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1-1/2 cups sauce. Repeat layers. Top with the remaining noodles, sauce and mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses., Cover with greased foil; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake until lightly browned and heated through, 5-10 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Coat a large saucepot with the olive oil and add the pancetta. Put the pot over medium-high heat and cook the pancetta 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, season generously with salt and stir to coat with the olive oil. Cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring; the onions should become very soft and aromatic but have no color. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Pass the tomatoes through a food mill; be sure to scrape the pulp off the bottom of the food mill. Add the tomatoes to the pot; fill one of the empty tomato cans with water and add to the pot (2 to 3 cups). Season generously with salt and taste; tomatoes take a lot of salt. Simmer 2 to 3 hours over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and tasting frequently. Season in baby steps, tasting every step of the way.
• Make the lasagna: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches, cook the lasagna noodles until pliable but not limp, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove with tongs and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool; remove and lay flat on a sheet tray.
• Coat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and put over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until brown and crumbly. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
• Ditch the fat from the pan and add 1 tablespoon olive oil along with 2 garlic cloves and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Put the pan over medium-high heat. When the garlic is golden, remove it and discard. Add the mushrooms and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and reserve. Repeat this process with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 garlic cloves and pinch of red pepper flakes, and the zucchini.
• In a bowl, mix the ricotta, half of the parmigiano, the eggs, basil and 1 teaspoon salt.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In the bottom of a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish, evenly spread a couple ladlefuls of sauce. Cover with a layer of the lasagna noodles. Spread one-third of the ricotta mixture over the pasta. Top with a layer of pasta in the opposite direction of the first layer (this will give the lasagna a little more stability). Spread a light layer of sauce on the pasta and sprinkle with one-third of the sausage; top with one-third each of the mushrooms and zucchini. Top with a layer of mozzarella and some of the remaining parmigiano. Repeat these layers until all the ingredients have been used. Be sure to finish with a layer of pasta covered with sauce, mozzarella and parmigiano. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Place the lasagna on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until hot and bubbly, about 1 hour, 15 minutes, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Let cool 20 minutes before slicing.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small pot bring the tomatoes, wine, whole basil sprigs, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, to taste, to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, 10 minutes; set aside.
• 2. Meanwhile, puree the cottage cheese in the bowl of a food processor until smooth. add the ricotta, spinach, 1/4 cup chopped basil, scallions, nutmeg, and salt and pepper and pulse until just combined; set aside.
• 3. Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray set over medium heat. Cook the sausage and onion, breaking it up with a wooden spoon into small pieces, until the meat is browned and the onion tender, 10 minutes.
• 4. Assemble the lasagna: Mist a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, half the ricotta mixture, half the sausage and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers with sauce, noodles, remaining ricotta and sausage and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining noodles and sauce. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the noodles are tender and the sauce is bubbling around the edges of the pan, 1 hour.
• 5. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese and continue to bake until melted, 10 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup basil. Serve.

Steps:

• Crumble the sausage into a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover; microwave on high for 3-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, stirring once; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, onion, green pepper, water, olives and salt. , In a greased 11x7-in. microwave-safe dish, layer 1-1/3 cups meat sauce, three noodles, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. , Cover and microwave at 70% power for 21-24 minutes or until noodles are tender. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 45-60 seconds or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.

Steps:

• Sauce:
• Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausages, onion, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper and sauté until sausage is cooked through, mashing sausage into small pieces with back of fork, about 10 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes with juices. Bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill until cold, then cover and keep chilled.)
• Filling:
• Using on/off turns, chop fresh basil leaves finely in processor. Add ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Using on/off turns, process filling until just blended and texture is still chunky.
• Assembly:
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Spread 1 1/4 cups sauce in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles on sauce. Drop 1 1/2 cups filling over noodles, then spread evenly to cover. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layering of sauce, noodles, filling and cheeses 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles. Spoon remaining sauce atop noodles. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Spray large piece of foil with nonstick olive oil spray. Cover lasagna with foil, sprayed side down.
• Bake lasagna 40 minutes. Carefully uncover. Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Bake until noodles are tender, sauce bubbles thickly and edges of lasagna are golden and puffed, about 20 minutes. Transfer to work surface; let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cover the bottom of a quarter sheet pan with 1 cup of the marinara sauce. Top with 4 of the no-boil noodles. Cover the noodles with half of the ricotta, then sprinkle the ricotta with salt and black pepper. Spoon over half of the pesto and spread it so it is evenly distributed. Arrange 6 slices of mozzarella in a layer on top of the pesto. Mix the sausage crumbles and meatballs together, then spoon half over the mozzarella. Sprinkle with a pinch of garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Repeat the layers once more, ending with the red pepper flakes.
• Add the remaining cup of marinara over the top and sprinkle over the grated Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cook until hot and bubbly, another 10 to 12 minutes.
• Let the lasagna sit for about 10 minutes, then garnish with parsley and serve with crusty bread.

Steps:

• Add 2 cups water to a 6-quart Instant Pot® and set the rack inside with the handles folded under.
• Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl to combine.
• Spread 1/2 cup marinara in the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan. Break 4 lasagna noodles into large pieces and arrange in an even layer over the marinara. Spread another 1/2 cup marinara evenly over the noodles followed by a third of the ricotta mixture spread in an even layer. Top with another layer of 4 broken lasagna noodles. Repeat the process 2 more times, for 2 more layers of marinara, noodles, marinara, ricotta, noodles. Top with the remaining marinara and cover tightly with foil, making sure to wrap any excess underneath the pan so that it will fit in the pot.
• Fold an 18-inch piece of foil in half lengthwise, then fold it in half again lengthwise and finally once more in half lengthwise making a 4 1/2-inch-wide foil sling for the pan. Place the lasagna pan in the center of the sling and, lifting the two ends of the sling, lower the pan into the pot.
• Follow the manufacturer's guide for locking the lid and preparing to cook. Set to pressure cook on high pressure for 25 minutes (see Cook's Note). After the pressure cook cycle is complete, follow the manufacturer's guide for natural release. After 15 minutes, being careful of any remaining steam, unlock and remove the lid.
• Remove the lasagna from the pot and let rest 10 minutes. Carefully remove the foil (steam will be locked inside) and serve.

Steps:

• In a skillet, crumble and cook sausage over medium heat until brown. Remove from heat and stir in pasta sauce and tomato sauce. In small bowl, combine ricotta cheese and Italian seasoning. Preheat oven to 375F. Spread 1 cup sauce into bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Top with 3 noodles. Cover noodles with 1/3 of ricotta cheese mixture, 1 cup of mozzarella and 1 cup sauce. Repeat layers two more times. Add last 3 noodles. Top lasagna with remaining sauce and with remaining mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan over mozzarella. Cover and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until noodles are tender. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Steps:

• If Adding Meat Layer:.
• Combine ground beef, egg, finely minced garlic and garlic powder, breadcrumbs, grated parmesan and chopped Italian parsley in a large mixing bowl. Run water over the bread slices to soak them and squeeze the water out. Add a splash of wine if desired.
• Mix meat for several minutes by hand, and roll out into fairly compact and tight meatballs. I make mine about 1 inch to 1.5 inch in size.
• Brown / sear the meatballs while continually rolling them with the utensils of your choice. I use two wooden spoons, but I've also used tongs to do this. The key is to get them browned enough to be "medium rare", not raw, as the cooking time is not long in the lasagna. However, they need to be done well enough to stick mostly together for slicing. I think next time I may chill them in the refrigerator. I put layers of paper towels down on a platter to hold the meatballs while they are cooling off.
• If Adding Spinach Layer:.
• Steam the spinach until it softens somewhat. It will continue to soften further in the lasagna while it's cooking.
• Making the Lasagna:.
• Open the jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce, and heat to a low simmer. If using meatballs, put them in the sauce to soak up some additional flavor.
• Note about the sauce: I am Italian American, and make my own marinara sauce from scratch several times a year. It takes all day, so I freeze it in storage containers for later use. However, when I use store bought sauce, I prefer the sauce made by Del Grosso, a small company in Tipton, Pennsylvania. Their products include both inexpensive sauces, and a line of specialty ones called "La Famiglia Del Grosso that are roughly twice the price of Ragu or Prego ($6-$7 a for a 26 ounce jar). This recipe is about shortcuts, not making things from scratch. The company's "Aunt Mary Ann's Sunday Marinara" tastes very, very much like the sauce I make from scratch, so that is what I used for this recipe.
• Here is the product link:.
• http://www.delgrossosauce.com/content/aunt-mary-anns-sunday-marinara-1.
• Boil the lasagna noodles to just below al dente. What worked for me as a guess was one minute shorter than the lowest recommended time - this was 9 minutes for the Mueller brand noodles that were on sale for 2:1 the day I was shopping for supplies for this project. The noodle layers will also soften while the lasagna is cooking, so do not worry if they are a little stiff.
• If using meat, remove the meatballs from the sauce and slice into roughly ¼ inch slices. Don't worry if the crumble (as some will). These will form the meat layer of the lasagna.
• Wash and chop the Italian parsley and sweet basil into fairly small pieces. In a big mixing bowl, combine evenly the ricotta cheese with the chopped parsley and basil, the ground pepper and the pinch or two of granulated garlic.
• Put a thin layer of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 11, 10 x 13, or 12 x 11 pan (your sizes may vary somewhat). I used a Pyrex type glassware for mine.
• Layer the lasagna noodles with slight overlapping in the pan. If you need to, don't be afraid to use small "band aid" sections or cross sections to make the layer. You should have plenty of noodles.
• Using a spatula, or spoon of your choice, make a layer of sauce covering the noodles. Add a layer of the ricotta mixture covering the sauce. If adding meat, arrange slices or crumbles of the meatballs next. If not, use the steamed spinach to create a veggie layer. Now sprinkle a later of mozzarella cheese, and top with a light to moderate dusting of parmesan cheese.
• You will now repeat the process at least one more time. Depending on the depth of your pan, and the thickness of the optional meats, it could be twice more:.
• 1) Noodles.
• 2) Sauce.
• 3) Ricotta mixture.
• 4) Meat or spinach.
• 5) Mozzarella cheese.
• 6) Parmesan cheese.
• The last layer does not contain meat or spinach, and will be roughly at the top of the pan itself. That's fine. The top layer should be with noodles, a some sauce and a mix of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
• Cover with aluminum foil.
• Bake at 350 F for a total of 45-50 minutes. Remove the foil after the first 30 minutes so that the top can brown lightly into a crust. Let it stand for 15 or 20 minutes before serving to firm up the layers, and avoid burning your tongue.
• Hope this works out for you, but it has become a family favorite in our house, and only takes a short while to prepare when compared to the time investment in a day-long "from scratch" lasagna recipe.

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add sausage, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's starting to brown but not yet crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato paste has turned a deeper brick red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes.
• Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into smaller, bite-size pieces and add them and the crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Fill one of the tomato cans halfway with water and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Make the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees and set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Set aside 1 cup mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan and cream; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook lasagna noodles in the large pot of salted boiling water until just softened (before they are even aldente), about 4 minutes. Drain and separate any noodles that are trying to stick together, slicking them with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking further.
• Spoon a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with a layer of noodles, avoiding any heavy overlap.
• Top with about 1 ¼ cups of sauce, and dollop ¼ of the cheese mixture over. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat three more times, ending with the last of the noodles (depending on size of the noodle/shape of the baking dish, you may have a few extra noodles) and the last of the sauce. Top with reserved 1 cup mozzarella and more Parmesan, if you like.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place baking dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (to prevent any overflow from burning on the bottom of your oven).
• Bake until pasta is completely tender and cooked through and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Continue to bake until lasagna is golden brown on top with frilly, crispy edges and corners, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating.