Sausage and Ricotta Lasagna

By vealam

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound sweet Italian pork sausage
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 3 cloves pressed garlic
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 28-ounce can diced organic tomatoes
• 1 15-ounce can organic tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 package no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1 egg
• 1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
• 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Details

Servings 10
Adapted from foodiecrush.com

Preparation

Step 1

In a large pot or dutch oven, cook pork sausage and ground beef over medium high heat just until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Add onion with salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes or until onion becomes translucent. Add wine and cook for 3 minutes or until nearly evaporated, then add milk and cook until absorbed. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano and kosher salt, bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until sauce is reduced.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl whisk egg and add ricotta cheese, parmesan and parsley and mix well.
Spoon a generous portion of tomato sauce mixture on the bottom of an ungreased 9 X 13 baking dish or lasagna pan. Add a single layer of 4 lasagna noodles, spread half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, then ⅓ of the sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Repeat with 4 more noodles, remaining cheese mixture, ⅓ sauce mixture and 1 cup cheese. Top with 4 more noodles, the remaining sauce and top with cheese.
Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes until bubbly. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10 minutes before cutting. Add extra parmesan for serving.

If you like a thicker lasagna, bake the day before, refrigerate and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for a half an hour.

No boil noodles need more sauce than cooked noodles since they absorb the moisture from the sauce. Don't be shy when ladling your portions.

Add in spinach, kale, or zucchini for an extra veggie vitamin punch and a touch of green.

If time is an issue, substitute the homemade sauce for a great quality jarred sauce added to the meat mixture. If ricotta is hard to find, my mom always uses creamy cottage cheese instead.