Four Cheese Sausage & Spinach Lasanga
INGREDIENTS
- 1 box dried lasagna noodles (about 18 noodles)
- 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained well, and pat dry
- 1 lb mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 8 oz provolone cheese, sliced
- Parmesan cheese, to top
- Fresh basil, to top
FOR THE SAUCE:
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 10 oz diced prosciutto
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 (28 oz) cans whole Roma tomatoes and their juices
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
FOR THE RICOTTA LAYER:
- 28 oz Ricotta cheese
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped and packed
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Start by making the sauce. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the Italian sausage, prosciutto, and onion. Saute, tossing and breaking the sausage up with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is browned and the onion is transparent, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and tomato paste and saute for about 1 minute or until all of the previous ingredients are coated in the tomato paste, stirring constantly. Pour in the canned Roma tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Using a wooden spoon, break apart the tomatoes and stir occasionally. Season with the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook on a low simmer while you prepare the rest of the lasagna, stirring occasionally.
- In a 9 x 13″ baking dish (it can be the pan you plan to cook your lasagna in), layer the noodles. Place one lasagna noodle diagonally in between each layer of noodles in order to prevent them from sticking together. Pour in hot water (near boiling-point) and let sit to soften the noodles for 20 minutes. You do not want them to get super soft, as they will continue to absorb moisture from the tomato sauce when baking.
- While you let the noodles soften, prepare the ricotta layer. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the Ricotta, egg yolks, fresh basil, nutmeg, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Process until well-combined.
- Drain the noodles and pat off excess moisture.
- Spray your 9 x 13″ baking dish with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce over the bottom of the pan.
- Place 1/3 of the lasagna noodles in the pan, overlapping them slightly in a layer to cover all of the sauce. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture on top, and then layer a third of the mozzarella and a third of the provolone on top. Sprinkle 1/2 of the spinach over the cheeses and cover with a layer of the meat sauce. Repeat for a second layer. For the third and final layer, put the remaining lasagna noodles on top, cover them with the sauce, tear the cheese into large chunks and place over top of the sauce, and sprinkle with a bit of fresh Parmesan.
- Spray foil with baking spray to prevent any cheese from sticking and cover the lasagna. Place a rimmed baking sheet underneath the lasagna pan to catch any liquid that might bubble over as the lasagna bakes. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.