Name: Patsy's Meatball Lasagna
Ingredients: 2.25 pounds (4 inches by 8 inches) fresh lasagna sheets; Coarse salt; 10 cups homemade or store-bought pasta sauce; 0.5 recipe Meatballs for Patsy's Meatball Lasagna; 1.333 cups freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese; 0.25 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish; 2 pounds (about 8 links) sweet Italian sausage, broiled and thinly sliced; 2 pounds fresh mozzarella, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 ¼ cups); 2 cups fresh ricotta cheese; 1 large egg

Patsy's Meatball Lasagna

3.9

(34)

7 Reviews

Martha Stewart Test Kitchen

Updated on May 21, 2018

Servings:

Fresh lasagna sheets are worth it for this specialty lasagna, which includes enrobing the layers of meatballs and sausage in a parcel of pasta sheets before the final step of baking.

Ingredients

2 ¼ pounds (4 inches by 8 inches) fresh lasagna sheets
Coarse salt
10 cups homemade or store-bought pasta sauce
½ recipe Meatballs for Patsy's Meatball Lasagna
1 ⅓ cups freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
2 pounds (about 8 links) sweet Italian sausage, broiled and thinly sliced
2 pounds fresh mozzarella, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 ¼ cups)
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
1 large egg

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; season with salt. Add lasagna sheets, and cook until pliable and al dente, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pour 1 cup sauce into a shallow baking dish; set aside. Cut two sheets in half lengthwise to make four 2-by-8-inch sheets; set aside.
Spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Dip half of a reserved cut sheet crosswise in the reserved sauce, and drape over a corner of the baking pan, leaving the sauce-covered end in the pan with the other half hanging over the edge. Repeat with remaining 3 cut sheets and corners. Line edges of pan in the same manner using full-size sheets dipped lengthwise. Finish lining the bottom of the pan with 2 full sheets.
In a medium bowl, toss to combine meatballs with 1/3 cup pecorino Romano, and 1/4 cup basil; spread evenly in bottom of dish. Pour over 1 cup sauce, and cover with 2 lasagna sheets.
In the same bowl, toss sausages with 1/3 cup pecorino Romano; spread evenly in baking dish. Pour over 1 cup sauce, and cover with 2 lasagna sheets.
In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella with 1/3 cup pecorino Romano; spread evenly in baking dish. Pour over 1 cup sauce, and cover with 2 lasagna sheets.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining 1/3 cup pecorino Romano with ricotta and egg; spread evenly in baking dish. Top with 1 cup sauce.
Center pasta sheets on ricotta within 1/2-inch of the edge of dish. Brush draped lasagna with sauce, and fold over to seal and enclose.
Cover lasagna with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Double-wrap baking dish in aluminum foil. Place an ovenproof plate, upside down, in a large roasting pan; fill pan with 2 inches of hot water. Place lasagna on top of plate. Bake until lasagna reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees to 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/2 hours to 1 hour 40 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with remaining basil, and serve with remaining sauce, if desired.