Spinach and Sausage Lasagna
This lasagna only has nine ingredients and is so flavorful and easy to assemble. Win! We included this dish in our ski house series for those exact reasons. When staying in a rental house we look for recipes with minimal ingredients for ease. We like to make this in advance, throw it in the freezer and bring it up to Vermont with us for the weekend.
1 lb. Italian sausage- we use 1/2 sweet 1/2 spicy- casings removed
1 32 oz jar tomato sauce (we love Rao’s)
32 oz part-skim ricotta cheese (whole milk can get runny)
1 1/2 cups packed basil leaves
1 cup parmesan - divided
2 large egg yolks
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 ounce packages spinach, thawed
2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
9 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 pound bag grated mozzarella cheese (about 4 cups)
Position the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add sausage and cook and crumble until browned, about 8-10 minutes. Add Rao’s sauce and turn heat down to medium low. Let simmer about 30 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
Squeeze the extra liquid out of the spinach in a paper towel or clean dishcloth until very dry. Transfer to a bowl and season with a pinch of salt.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the ricotta, basil, 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, egg yolks, salt, pepper, garlic and spinach and process until mostly smooth.
Coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray or butter and spread the bottom with 2 cups sauce/sausage mixture. Top with a layer of three noodles, then a third of the ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup grated mozzarella.
Repeat twice more, skipping the mozzarella on the third layer. Top the lasagna with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle over the sauce the remaining 2 cups mozzarella. Then top with 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese.
Place the baking pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Lightly spray a piece of foil with cooking spray, cover the lasagna, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.
