Hello, and welcome to Boone Appétit. Today I want to run a quick and easy recipe by you that is actually quick and easy. It also has to be one of the most comforting foods you can eat. It’s great to make if you have guest coming on short notice or if you’re too busy to cook everyday and would like leftovers for a few days. It’s even versatile enough to make ahead of time and freeze it. What is it you ask? My answer would be lasagna!
I remember when I was a kid my mom use to make lasagna for special occasions and it would take her the whole day, but it was worth it. Lucky for us we have some modern conveniences that allows one to prepare this dish in just about an hour from start to finish. I wasn’t going to make it this week but while I was grocery shopping I noticed everything for making it was on sale. It was like the universe was telling me,”Hey Charlie make some lasagna!”
The invention of the oven ready lasagna pasta has really made things so much simpler. It was always such a hassle to make the pasta and inevitably some of it would break and you’d end up with a mess. I know some cooks would never use the oven ready stuff but I don’t find it makes any difference especially if you use enough liquid. Some recipes call for an additional cup of water tossed into the sauce. Today I got two jars of organic sauce for $5 so I’m going to use both. I also like to spice things up so I add about a pound of hot Italian sausage to the sauce and let it simmer while I’m making the cheese mixture. Grated cheese also saves time, but I’m a fan of sliced fresh mozzarella on the top of the lasagna, cutting it takes me an extra 3 minutes. I know I may get a little flack for not making the lasagna from scratch, but this is quick , easy and delicious.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- 1 pound Italian sausage, sweet or hot, pork or chicken
- 1-2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce, usually 24 ounce jars
- 2 cups Ricotta cheese
- 1 egg slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 box oven ready lasagna sheets
- 4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
- Brown sausage in a pot big enough to hold the jars of pasta sauce. If the sausage is in links dice it up. Add to the sauce and simmer while you make the cheese mixture.
- In a mixing bowl add the beaten egg, Ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning and a couple tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and mix well.
- The Layering
- In a 13x9x2 greased baking dish spread about 3/4 cups of sauce mixture, spread it evenly in pan.
- Place 3 pieces of oven ready lasagna crossways on top of meat.
- spoon 2/3 cups of the Ricotta mixture over the pasta.
- spread more sauce covering the pasta completely.
- sprinkle 1 cup of shredded mozzarella .
- repeat the steps until you have 3 or 4 layers.
- On the top layer cover it with the remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
- Cover with foil and place in oven for 35-45 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes until browned.
- Let the lasagna sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
- Serve with a side salad and garlic bread and maybe a little wine.
It seems more complicated than it is, but once you’ve done it, it gets easier each time. The main thing to remember is that you need enough liquid for the oven ready lasagna sheets because they tend to absorb liquid and swell up more than conventional lasagna sheets that you boil. You can also freeze the lasagna, assemble it, but don’t cook it, place plastic wrap then foil over the top and freeze it. Make sure the sauce is cooled before doing this. Vegetarian lasagna is also an option. Try using spinach or pumpkin or any combination of vegetables you’d like. The layering process is the same.
I hope you give this quick and easy recipe a try and if you do please report back. I love to hear variations or maybe you have a traditional family recipe for lasagna you’d like to share. One thing is for sure, that as the weather turns colder lasagna is a great comfort food that can feed many hungry people. Your house will smell amazing and your guests won’t leave hungry.
As always if you have any questions or comments please leave them in the box below. Until next time, Boone Appétit!.
Nice, Charlie! I also enjoy making and serving lasagna. A real comfort food! I usually make mine with ground beef but I recently made it with ground turkey because my son-in-law can’t do beef. It was delicious! Nice to know that variation works. 😉
See you next time!
Hi Jenn, I like using ground turkey too, ground beef is good also but I find I usually need to drain it after cooking. I also like to add onions and garlic if I’m using plain ground meat so I think that’s why I’ve switched to sausage, its more of a time saver for me. Keep on cooking!