Smoked Cheese and Sausage Lasagna

By Dr_Mom

Ingredients

• Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound Italian sweet sausages, casings removed
• 2 ounces sliced prosciutto, chopped
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 28-ounce can Italian-style tomatoes in juice, tomatoes chopped, juice reserved
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• Lasagna:
• 12 10x2-inch lasagna noodles
• 1 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 cups (packed) coarsely grated smoked mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 large egg
• Olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

For sauce:
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage; sauté until browned, breaking up with fork, about 6 minutes. Add prosciutto; stir 1 minute. Transfer mixture to bowl.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and next 4 ingredients. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Add tomatoes with reserved juice, basil, and sausage mixture. Reduce heat; simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

For lasagna:
Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Stir ricotta and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella in bowl. Season with salt and pepper; mix in egg.

Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with oil. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce evenly over bottom. Arrange 3 noodles atop sauce. Spread 3/4 cup cheese mixture thinly over noodles. Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over. Repeat with noodles, cheese mixture, and sauce 2 more times. Cover with 3 noodles. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Cover with foil. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Chill.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake lasagna, covered, 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until heated through, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.