I’m writing this post as the lasagna bakes in the oven. Which means the kitchen is filled with the aromatic scents of sausage, basil, garlic, and a hint of melted mozzarella. This is my first attempt at making lasagna and it was interesting right from the get go…
Ingredients for Italian Sausage Lasagna
- 2 pounds spicy Italian sausage- NOT in the casings
- 3 eggs
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 packet shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 12 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 14 oz. can tomatoes, diced
- 2 tbs. basil leaves
- 2 tbs. oregano
- garlic powder, cracked pepper (optional)
- lasagna sheets, boiled and ready to use
When I went to the grocery store, we were in a bit of a hurry so I split the duties between myself and my boyfriend. When you split your list with someone, the cardinal rule is ALWAYS BE SPECIFIC!!! Unfortunately, I failed to follow the rule. This was how I landed up with a pound of Italian sausage in a casing
Eh. Not what I was expecting to see.
…I have to do what?
Maybe I’m making a big deal out of this. But let me tell you, if you had walked in on me during the process, you would have made faces too. I had to squeeze the sausage out of the casings. Cue sexual innuendos. Cue globs of meat smacking into a pan.
I squeezed and poked and prodded until all the meat had come out of its tiny little edible casings until this was all that was left…
Resembles a number of things, doesn’t it….
Regardless, I had gotten my meat into the pan.
These helpings of meat are too thick to use for making the lasagna. After drizzling some lovely Greek olive oil onto the sausage, I began to use two spatulas to pull the sausage apart into much smaller chunks.
Much better
After I had cut up the sausage as much as possible, I added my chopped garlic and began stirring it around and into the meat.
Opening the cans of tomato paste and diced tomatoes, I added them in and mixed the sausage well with it. Then I added half a cup of water to thin out the sauce.
Stir in the basil and oregano leaves.
I like to have a strong flavor of basil and oregano so I added two tbs. Feel free to moderate or add more. Once you’ve stirred the herbs in, cover the mixture and let the sauce simmer on a low heat. Stir it occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of your pan.
In a separate bowl, crack two of the eggs, beat them and then add the Mozzarella cheese. Do so a little at a time, ensuring all the cheese is wet. Then crack the third egg and stir the rest of the cheese in to make a somewhat pasty egg and cheese mixture. You can add a little garlic powder or cracked pepper to taste while stirring. I added both.
By now, your lasagna sheets should have finished boiling. Layer two or three into your baking pan and then spread some of your cheese mixture on top of them as evenly as possible.
On top of this mixture, spread some of your meat sauce generously.
I only bought a pound of sausage which was, apparently, not enough, so I used my sauce a little more sparingly. Cover this layer of meat and cheese with another layer of lasagna sheets and repeat the process.
Second layer
Keep repeating depending on the number of lasagna sheets you boiled and the amount of sauce you have. I only had enough for two filled layers.
Once you’ve finished building your lasagna, place it in the oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. You can add a little extra dry cheese to the top of the lasagna before placing it in the oven.
Once it’s out, cut, serve and enjoy!
Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup!
