Description
This classic lasagna recipe features a rich and flavorful Italian sausage and vegetable sauce layered with creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. The no-boil noodles simplify preparation, while baking creates a comforting, golden bubbly dish perfect for family dinners or special occasions.
Ingredients
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1½ pounds Italian sausage (bulk or removed from casing)
- ¾ cup dry red wine
- 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1½ teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Ricotta Mixture
- 1 (15-oz) container whole milk ricotta (about 1¾ cups)
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil
Assembly
- 12 oven ready, no boil lasagna noodles (such as Barilla)
- 16 oz shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce vegetables: Place the chopped onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse until finely minced but not pureed, creating a finely textured vegetable base.
- Cook the sausage: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook while stirring occasionally, breaking it into small pieces, until it is partially browned but not fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables: Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Add the minced vegetables and cook, stirring frequently until very soft and translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Avoid browning by lowering the heat if needed.
- Deglaze with wine: Pour in the red wine, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to lift any browned bits. Cook until most of the wine has been absorbed by the vegetables, a few minutes.
- Add tomatoes and seasonings: Stir in crushed tomatoes, heavy cream, salt, black pepper, sugar, dried thyme, and bay leaves. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer covered for 20 minutes until thickened.
- Finish cooking the sausage: Chop the partially cooked sausage into smaller pieces on a cutting board, then return it to the sauce. Simmer covered for another 10 minutes to fully cook the sausage and meld flavors. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Make the ricotta filling: In a food processor bowl fitted with a metal blade, combine ricotta, cream cheese, egg, chopped garlic, ¾ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, and black pepper. Process until smooth and well blended. Add chopped fresh basil and pulse until finely chopped and incorporated.
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 375°F (190°C) to prepare for baking the lasagna.
- Assemble the lasagna: Spread about 1½ cups of the sauce evenly on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Arrange 3 no-boil lasagna noodles over the sauce. Dollop and spread one-third of the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles, then sprinkle with ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Repeat layering sauce, noodles, ricotta, and mozzarella two more times. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, spread with remaining sauce, and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Cover and bake: Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover the assembled lasagna tightly with the sprayed side down. Bake in the oven at 375°F (190°C) for 40 minutes.
- Bake uncovered for finishing: Carefully remove the foil and increase oven temperature to 400°F (205°C). Bake uncovered for another 20 minutes until noodles are tender, sauce is bubbly, and edges are golden and puffed.
- Rest before serving: Remove from the oven and let the lasagna rest for about 15 minutes to set up and make cutting easier before serving.
Notes
- Using no-boil lasagna noodles simplifies preparation—no pre-cooking required.
- Make sure to chop the sausage into small pieces after partially cooking to distribute it evenly in the layers.
- Letting the lasagna rest after baking helps the layers set and improves slicing.
- You can prepare the sauce a day ahead to deepen flavors.
- Spraying the foil prevents sticking when covering the lasagna during baking.
