Lasagna May be the Ultimate Comfort Food
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My Absolute Favorite Traditional Lasagna Recipe
Turkey Sausage Lasagna
Photo courtesy of Morguefile
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
15 ounces ricotta cheese
3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.
Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.
Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.
Lasagna Facts
"Lasagna" now refers to both the flat sheets of pasta as well as the yummy, cheesy dish made with those pasta sheets.
Many lasagna recipes can be made without pre-cooking the noodles. The moisture and heat from the other ingredients will cook the noodles as the dish bakes.
Cover and bake for 45 minutes, then remove the cover for another 20 minutes to let the sauce thicken.
Use a non-reactive glass or ceramic dish for baking to avoid a reaction with the acidic tomato sauce.
You can assemble your lasagna ahead of time and store uncooked in the fridge overnight, or you can freeze it to cook later.
You can make lasagna in your dishwasher.
Lasagna, Lasagna Everywhere!
Some fabulous lasagna recipes from the Web
- Lasagna on Allrecipes.com
- Over 130 great recipes.
- Lasagna on FoodNetwork.com
- The best recipes from your favorite chefs.
- Today Show
- Chef Battista's recipe from Luigi's Restaurant in Johnston, Rhode Island.
- Southern Food
- I don't know what lasagna has to do with Southern food, but this site has lots of variations.
All About Lasagna
Lasagna (singular, ; plural lasagne ) is both a form of pasta in sheets (sometimes rippled, though seldom so in Northern Italy) and also a dish, sometimes named lasagne al forno (meaning "oven-cooked lasagne") made with alternate layers of pasta, cheese, and often ragù (a meat sauce) or tomato sauce. In the UK, the dish is always spelled lasagne as it is in Italy.
The word lasagna, which originally applied to a cooking pot, now simply describes the food itself.
Great Books
The Classic Pasta Cookbook (Classic Cookbooks)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009)
List Price: $24.95
Lasagna: The Art of Layered Cooking
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009)
List Price: $15.95
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Ravioli & Lasagna: With Other Baked & Filled Pastas (Williams-Sonoma Pasta Collection)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/11/2009)
List Price: $18.95
Avg. Customer Rating:
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Recipes for Even More Lasagna Varieties
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- Rich, creamy and unusual.
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Beautiful, beautiful food
Drop Me a Line
Leave your favorite lasagna recipe or just say hi. Please remember to rate this lens. Thanks.
deb6627 wrote
Barefood Contessa's Turkey Lasagna -- yes, that is the recipe, however, Ina's instructions say to bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, not at 350 for 30 minutes. In my experience, plan on baking for 45 mintues. Well worth buying the fresh indredients this recipe calls for. Trust me, you won't be sorry!
Posted May 16, 2009
Katherineb wrote...
in reply to Judy Estes I make mine with my Simac electric pasta machine. They have three different thickness - from almost paper thin to about 1/8 of an inch and they are flat, not wavy. But, if you don't want to make your own, Barilla makes a 'no boil' lasagna noodle that is thin and flat. I cannot abide thick, wavy pasta either. The Barilla noodle is what I use if I don't have time to make my own.
Posted May 06, 2009
Sherrie0001 wrote
in reply to Judy Estes
I'm sure you will have to make your own pasta and use a low setting on the pasta machine. Your next challenge will be to find an easy recipie---you were willing to do whatever
it takes/anyone out there have a good one? Have fun!
Posted March 10, 2009
Shelly wrote
You've certainly opened my eyes to the unexplored regions of variations in lasagna!
Posted February 06, 2009
Judy Estes wrote
We went to Paris this last summer and had the most incredible lasagna that we've ever tasted. The differences that we immediately saw were 1) the lightness of all of the ingredients and 2) the thinness of the pasta. I believe that I can come close on the other ingredients, but all I can find here are the really thick lasagna noodles.
Can you help me? I'm willing to do whatever work it takes. I just don't know where to start.
Thanks,
Judy
Posted January 25, 2009
ViolinStudent wrote...
I use turkey sausage all the time! She is a really picky eater, so it's kind of hard to get her to eat anything with more than cheese, meat, and plain old tomato sauce...but in my dreams I go with the seven layer lasagna that we used to make in the restaurant I managed. I just wish I knew what our sous chef did to that sauce...it was marvelous.
Posted December 02, 2008
Alphanso wrote
Here are two recipes. I prefer the second one, although it takes longer to prepare
Lasagna
Posted November 29, 2008
Rajays wrote...
I love lasagnas and your recipes look yummy! Have to give your favorite recipe a try soon. Thanks for sharing and 5*
Posted October 27, 2008
rms wrote...
This great recipe lens is today's feature at CabaretSquidoo.com!
Posted September 05, 2008
Evelyn_Saenz wrote...
Lasagna is one of my favorite foods. I sometimes use eggplant to zucchini instead of the noodles to make it a little healthier.
Posted August 16, 2008
by beeobrien
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