This delicious make ahead lasagna is perfect for beginners to bake for a holiday feast or Sunday family dinner. Several easy shortcuts make this classic dish quick to prepare.
PREP TIME 30 minutesminutes
COOK TIME 1 hourhour10 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 1 hourhour40 minutesminutes
YIELD 8servings
Ingredients
1poundbulk sausagehot, Italian, or sweet
1/2jar of roasted red peppersdrained and diced
1tablespoondried fennel
Sprinkle of roasted red pepper flakesoptional
2(15 oz) containers of ricotta cheese
2cupsshredded mozzarella cheesedivided
1/2cupgrated Parmesan cheese
2eggs
2(24 oz) jars prepared tomato sauce
12no boil lasagna noodles
Instructions
Prepare the Fillings
In a large skillet, brown and crumble the sausage until cooked through and toasted to a golden brown. Stir in the diced red peppers and cook for 2 more minutes. Add fennel and roasted red pepper flakes if using and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the ricotta cheese with 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, and 2 eggs.
Assemble the Lasagna:
In a 9x13-inch casserole dish: spread 1 cup of tomato sauce across bottom of the dish. Spread one layer of 3 - 4 noodles evenly across the dish.
Spread another cup of tomato sauce across the pasta. Top with half of the ricotta cheese mixture and spread evenly.
Sprinkle half the sausage mixture evenly across the next layer.
To finish assembly, follow this pattern for the next layers: pasta, sauce, remaining ricotta, remaining sausage, pasta, remaining tomato sauce.
Baking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil tightly and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour.
Uncover the lasagna and sprinkle remaining mozzarella and parmesan across the top. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Let sit for a few minutes before serving to let the layers set.
Recipe Notes
Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions:The lasagna can be assembled and then stored in the fridge if you plan to bake it within 24 hours. Be sure to let the dish stand on the counter to remove the chill for one hour before baking.Frozen lasagna should be frozen without the top layer of shredded cheese. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then bake as directed.