Italian Sausage Lasagna
This Italian sausage lasagna has a rich sausage meat sauce, a touch of creamy bechamel, and two kinds of cheese. It's make-ahead friendly and a hearty, crowd-pleasing dinner.
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Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
For the Sausage Meat Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds Italian sausage (hot, mild, or a combination)
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion (peeled and root end removed)
- 4 large garlic cloves (peeled)
- 1 large green bell peppers (stem and seeds removed)
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 (30-ounce) cans tomato sauce
- ¼ cup chopped parsley plus extra for garnish
For the White Sauce (Bechamel)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
For the Lasagna
- 12 oven-ready lasagna noodles
- 8 ounces provolone cheese shredded
- 8 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
How to Make the Meat Sauce
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and, as it cooks, break it up. Once it’s browned add 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and kosher salt. Add ½ teaspoon black pepper and stir well to combine.
- Cut the bell pepper and onion into chunks and place them in a food processor fitted with a chopping blade. Add the garlic and blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into the pot with the sausage.
- Stir the tomato paste into the sausage. Add all of the tomato sauce and stir. Bring the sauce to a simmer, cover the pan, and lower the heat. Maintain a simmer and cook the sauce for one to two hours, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as needed.
How to Make the White Sauce
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add ¼ teaspoon each of nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. Stir and cook the spices in the butter for a about 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup of flour and stir until smooth.
- Slowly whisk 1 cup of milk into the butter and flour mixture. Stir until the mixture is smooth with no lumps. Cook the sauce (don't let it boil) until it thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn the heat off and take the pan off the burner and set it aside.
How to Assemble the Lasagna
- Preheat the oven to 375°F while you assemble the lasagna.
- Spread 2 cups of the meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13” pan. Place 3 lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. Spread two cups of meat sauce over the noodles.
- Drizzle ¼ cup of white sauce over the meat sauce and then sprinkle ¼ cup each of kind of shredded cheese on top. Place three noodles on top of the cheese, 2 cups of meat sauce, ¼ cup of white sauce, and ¼ cup of both kinds of cheese. Repeat these layers one more time. For the last layer, add three lasagna sheets, the rest of the meat sauce, white sauce, and both kinds cheese.
- Place the baking dish on a sheet pan lined with foil. This will catch any drips as the lasagna bakes so clean up is easier.
- Cover the lasagna with foil and bake it for 50 minutes. Take the foil off and bake it for 10 to 15 minutes or until bubbly hot.
- Cool the lasagna for five minutes. Use a large knife to slice the lasagna into 12 pieces. Smaller pieces are easier to lift out of the pan with a spatula. Garnish each slice with parsley.
Notes
Blending the vegetables: This is optional, but it's a great way to infuse the tomato sauce with flavor without chunks of veggies in the sauce. If you want to skip this step, just chop up the bell pepper, onion, and garlic and add them to the browned sausage.
White sauce: There's just enough white sauce to balance the bright acidity of the tomato sauce. If you want more, you can double the amount of white sauce, but it will make the lasagna extra saucy.
Meat sauce: This lasagna has a saucy meat sauce. I've made it two ways: as the recipe is written here and also with the amount of tomato sauce cut in half (one 30-ounce can instead of two). It works both ways, but I think the extra saucy version is better.
Make-ahead: You can make the meat sauce and the white sauce ahead. Store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator. You might need to thin the white sauce with a little extra milk after it's been chilled. You can also assemble the lasagna a day ahead to bake the next day.
Baking: If you assemble the lasagna ahead, set it out at room temperature while you preheat the oven so it's not ice cold when it goes in the oven. You may need to add five to ten minutes of baking time (covered) if you prep it ahead.
Leftovers: Once the leftover lasagna is cooled, you can store it in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for one month.
Nutrition Estimate
Serving: 1 slice | Calories: 594kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 2057mg | Potassium: 951mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1471IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 386mg | Iron: 3mg
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