Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant if lasagna is on the menu, it’s going in my body. And I’m not here for spinach pesto lasagna or using zucchini instead of noodles. If I’m eating lasagna and ESPECIALLY if I’m making it, it’s gotta be classic. I managed to lighten up the classic version without missing even the slightest amount of flavor. I can prove this is true by letting you know that my dad who is hardcore gluten-free free didn’t notice that “the best lasagna ever” was gluten free and made with chicken sausage. I used the @eatbanza lasagna noodles and they were unreal! 🔥
Dinners
Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant if lasagna is on the menu, it’s going in my body. And I’m not here for spinach pesto lasagna or using zucchini instead of noodles. If I’m eating lasagna and ESPECIALLY if I’m making it, it’s gotta be classic. I managed to lighten up the classic version without missing even the slightest amount of flavor. I can prove this is true by letting you know that my dad who is hardcore gluten-free free didn’t notice that “the best lasagna ever” was gluten free and made with chicken sausage. I used the @eatbanza lasagna noodles and they were unreal! 🔥
Ingredients
For The Sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage- I used the chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s omit for vegetarian
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil
- 2 tbsp honey or sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Salt & pepper
For The Lasagna:
- 2 cups fresh mozzarella shredded
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta must be whole fat!
- 1 cup grated Parmesan plus more for topping
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 box @eatbanza lasagna noodles or regular no boil lasagna noodles
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
The Sauce:
- First make the sauce! In a large pot over, heat your oil over medium heat. Add in your sausage (be sure to remove it from the casing) and break it up with a wooden spoon until it is almost done cooking (4-5 min).
- Add in the onion garlic, season, and 1 tsp of oregano, salt and pepper. Saute until the onion is translucent and fragrant (6-7 minutes).
- Add in the tomato paste and stir to coat the ingredients in the pot. Then, add the 2 cans of tomatoes, 1/3 cup of water and honey or sugar. Bring to a boil then turn heat to low and cover. Let it simmer for 45 minutes to an hour (or longer!).
For the Lasagna:
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the mozzarella except for about one cup for topping, the ricotta, 1 cup grated Parmesan, milk, and salt and pepper.
- Coat the bottom of your pan with the sauce and place a layer of noodles over top.
- Add enough sauce to totally coat the noodles and gently spread the cheese mixture over the sauce. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat until the dish is about 3/4 of the way full. End with a noodle layer and top with remaining sauce and mozzarella.
- Cover with foil (spray the bottom with oil to prevent sticking). and bake for about 40 minutes until your pasta is cooked. Remove foil and broil for about 5 minutes until the top is golden brown.
- Let it cool for about 10-15 minutes then serve! I topped with more Parmesan cheese.
Notes
You can totally simplify this and just use the sausage and a pre-made tomato sauce instead of making your own.
Making ahead of time is encouraged! This tastes WAY better the next day.