Sausage Lasagna
The magic of sausage! It can take an ordinary lasagna and turn it into something special. Yet, even before the sausage, this is no ordinary lasagna. Fresh homemade pasta for the noodles, the Ricotta-Béchamel sauce from Chef Silvia’s Hand Rolled Lasagna and fresh mozzarella already take this to another level. Add the sausage and it’s breathing down the neck of the venerable Lasagna Verde Bolognese in the race for the title of my favorite lasagna.
The Three Things That Matter
The ricotta bechamel. This is what sets this lasagna apart. It is not just ricotta plopped in like most American lasagnas. You make a bechamel (butter, flour, milk), let it cool, then fold in the ricotta. The result is a smooth, creamy filling that holds together when you slice it. Do not skip this step.
Use good sausage. Sweet Italian sausage with fennel. Remove it from the casings and brown it well, breaking it into small pieces. The sausage is doing all the heavy lifting for flavor in the sauce, so quality matters here. If you have a good Italian deli or butcher, use theirs.
Let it rest before cutting. Pull the lasagna out of the oven and walk away for 15 minutes. If you cut it immediately, it will be a sloppy mess. The rest lets everything set up so you get clean slices.
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Sausage Lasagna Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
Ingredients
For the Ricotta-Béchamel Filliing
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons unbleached white flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the Lasagna
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, chopped fine
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage meat (stuffing from 4 links)
- 1 35oz can of imported Italian tomatoes
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3 fresh basil leaves
- 1 recipe Ricotta-Béchamel Filliing
- 1 pound of fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 recipe of homemade fresh pasta rolled out and cut into 13 inch long pieces
Instructions
Make the Ricotta-Béchamel Filliing
- Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over low heat. Add the flour and stir with a wire whisk until it forms a paste.
- Slowly add the milk to the butter and flour mixture, whisking until smooth.
- Continue to cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture is thick and smooth, it should coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from refrigerator, add the ricotta, salt and pepper, and stir until well combined.
Make The Lasagna
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sautè, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add sausage meat, and salt & pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until sausage is browned approximately 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, crush the tomatoes with your hands then add them with their juices to the pan. Add ½ cup of water and bring to a simmer. Turn heat to low and let simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. At the very end of cooking, tear the basil leaves into pieces with your hands and stir into the sauce. Remove the sauce from the heat.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In 3 batches add the lasagna sheets to the boiling water and cook until just under al dente. Remove the noodles from the pot using a slotted spoon, place in a colander, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and spread out on clean kitchen towels.
- Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 13×9-inch glass baking dish. Cover with a layer of 2 to 3 lasagna noodles, overlaping slightly to fit. Spread ⅓ of the Ricotta-Béchamel mixture on the noodles, top with 1 cup of the sauce. Spread ¼ of the mozzarella over the sauce. Sprinkle ¼ cup of parmaggiano-reggiano and top with a layer of lasagna noodles.
- Repeat this 2 more times. Cover the final layer of lasagna noodles with the remaining sauce and sprinkle remaining cup of mozzarella on top.
- Cover baking dish with aluminum foil, place in oven and cook for 60 minutes. Remove foil and cook until cheese is melted about 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
Substitutions
- Pasta. Fresh homemade pasta is ideal but dried lasagna noodles work. No-boil noodles are fine in a pinch, but add a little extra liquid to the sauce.
- Sausage. Sweet Italian is traditional here. Hot Italian works if you want heat. You can also mix half sweet and half hot.
- Ricotta. Use whole milk ricotta, not part skim. The fat matters for the ricotta-bechamel texture.
- Mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella in cubes gives you pockets of melty cheese. Low moisture mozzarella (shredded) works but is not the same.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Reheating
- Make ahead: Assemble the entire lasagna up to a day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Add 15 minutes to baking time if going straight from the fridge to the oven.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days. Freezes well for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Cover with foil and reheat at 350 F for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through. Individual slices can be microwaved.
FAQ
Yes. Dried lasagna noodles or no-boil noodles both work. Fresh homemade pasta gives the best texture, but this lasagna is still excellent with store-bought. If using no-boil noodles, make sure your sauce is slightly thinner so the noodles have enough moisture to cook through.
A combination of a classic bechamel (white sauce made from butter, flour, and milk) mixed with ricotta cheese. It creates a smooth, creamy filling that holds together better than ricotta alone and gives the lasagna a more refined texture.
Yes. Assemble completely, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate up to a day ahead. Bake from cold, adding about 15 minutes to the cooking time. Lasagna is actually one of the best make-ahead dishes because the flavors improve as they meld overnight.
At least 15 minutes. This is essential. If you cut immediately out of the oven, the layers will slide apart and the filling will run. The rest allows everything to set up so you get clean, defined slices.
Yes. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat covered at 350 F. You can also freeze individual portions for quick meals.
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This lasagna looks wonderful and sounds delicious! You have a scrumptious blog!
Have a wonderful evening!
Blessings,
Catherine
Wow, that looks SO good, especially that ricotta béchamel. Can’t wait to try this!
I’m intrigued by the ricotta bechamel – this sounds great!
Sausage really is miraculous. I’m sure it gives wonderful flavor and at only 30 minutes, takes a faction of the time it would take to make a ragù (whether bolognese or neapolitan style). A great idea that I’ll have to ‘steal’ some time soon…
Looks like a great alternative to most lasagna recipes. We love sausage anyway, so I can’t wait to try this out and see how my family goes for it! Thanks for sharing!
This is an awesome sausage lasagna recipe, do you think I can add this to my blog as well? Of course, I would cite back to you as the main source for this amazing recipe.
You could also try making your own, handmade lasagna
noodles. If you do you’ll have a really soft lasagna. Tnx for sharing.
Cheers.
What a great mix of old world authentic with the bechamel and Aumerican cheesy goodness with the mozzarella and ricotta. Yummy!
I’m putting mine in the oven now had to hide the cheese from my man cause he don’t like cheese and wanted me too use already made sauce so I’m mad about that but I threw some home made sauce in there any way! How can one not like cheese really?
You think that was it? Because I have been trying to isoatle what made it so spicy. It called for 2 tablespoons each of salt and paprika but I cut it down to one. I’ll try cutting the cayenne and black pepper down next time.
I have been looking for good easy to follow Italian recipes for a little while, stumbled upon The Italian Chef in my search for which I am so grateful, thank you so much Phil, I am looking forward to trying out and enjoying your fabulous recipes.
Made the Sausage Lasagne recipe this evening, what a treat it turned out to be, thanks Phil.
Hi and thank you for your recipe but,can I use boxed lasagne macorni instead of making it.
and how much should I use.
Yes you can use the boxed. Not sure how much you would need. At least a pound.
Thank you love your site and I always recommend
thank you
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