MARTHASTEWART.COM

Lasagna

    View Gallery
    1 of 1

      Basic Tomato Sauce and Lasagna

      Lucinda prepares a simple lasagna that freezes well and reheats in just 20 minutes.

      Watch the Video

      Play Basic Tomato Sauce and Lasagna

      Basic Tomato Sauce and Lasagna

      Lucinda prepares a simple lasagna that freezes well and reheats in just 20...

    Find More

    This recipe makes enough lasagna for five to six people -- including seconds! When this dish comes out of the oven, let it rest for a few minutes to ensure beautiful, clean slices. You can also reheat it the next day for out-of-this-world leftovers. From the book "Mad Hungry," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books).
    Mad Hungry, September 2010
    • Yield Makes 12 servings
    Add to Shopping List

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound lasagna noodles or packaged precooked lasagna noodles
    • coarse salt
    • 5 links sweet Italian sausage, or a mixture of hot and sweet, pierced with a fork
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 pound ricotta cheese
    • 3/4 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
    • 5 cups Basic Italian Tomato Sauce, (double the recipe and cook for 30 minutes longer to thicken)
    • 1 pound fresh or prepackaged mozzarella cheese, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices
    • extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

    Directions

    1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and a generous pinch of salt and cook for half as long as the package suggests. Drain and float in cold water. (Skip this step if noodles are precooked.)
    2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, fry the sausage links until cooked through, about 10 minutes. With kitchen scissors, cut the sausage into disks in the pan and continue to fry over low heat until the cut surfaces are crispy, about 20 minutes. Drain off the fat.
    3. In a medium bowl, stir together the egg, ricotta, and 1/2 cup of the pecorino.
    4. To assemble the lasagna, spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Drain and pat dry the noodles. Overlap one third of the noodles atop the sauce to cover the pan bottom. Spread all the cooked sausage over the noodles and spoon over another cup of sauce. Lay down the second third of noodles. Evenly dollop all the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles and flatten with the spoon to make an even layer. Top with the remaining noodles to completely cover the cheese. Pour over 1 1/2 to 2 cups sauce to cover. Evenly lay all the mozzarella slices on top. Sprinkle around the remaining 1/4 cup pecorino and drizzle with olive oil.
    5. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes, or until the lasagna is bubbling all over and lightly golden on top. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with grated cheese and warmed extra sauce at the table.

    Recipe Reviews

    • Spatty
      6 Mar, 2011

      I would simply bake it longer if not thawed. Maybe the 1st 30 minutes with foil on it. as a precaution, I would only use an aluminum or disposable foil dish if freezing.

    • FutureFox
      29 Sep, 2010

      If you are freezing this before cooking, how do you adjust the cooking time/temp?

    Save to your Collections

    Sorry for the inconvenience! Saving is temporarily unavailable as we work through a few kinks in our new recipe design (we hope you like it!). Don't worry, your collections are safe and you'll be able to save recipes again very soon.

    Review this Recipe

    Reviewing recipes is temporarily unavailable as we work through a few kinks in our new recipe design. You'll be able to comment again soon. Sorry for the inconvenience!

    More from Food

    Quick Chicken Recipes

    Find delicious chicken dinner recipes, all ready in under an hour.

    New From Our Blogs

    Shared On Facebook