Cheesy Lasagna

This lasagna is quick, easy and kids love it. It can be made any time of year since it doesn’t require fresh tomatoes.

1 recipe All-Purpose Marinara (recipe below)
1/2 cup grated, standard semi-dried mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
1 ball (125 grams) fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly
2 links Italian sausage (chicken or pork)
1 box no-boil lasagna sheets
olive oil

First make the marinara. [Recipe below] It will take about 30 minutes. It can be made 1-2 days ahead of time or frozen and thawed as needed.

Pre-heat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Remove sausage from casing and fry until cooked, breaking the meat into crumbles.

To a standard lasagna pan (about 11” or 12” x 15”) add 2 tablespoons each olive oil and marinara to the bottom. Spread evenly. Add first layer of pasta sheets, breaking sheets as necessary to make them fit into the pan neatly. Add a thin layer of sauce then the fresh mozzarella. Add another pasta layer, another thin layer of sauce then the cooked sausage. Add another pasta layer, a thicker layer of sauce and the other two remaining cheeses.* Cover with foil. Poke small holes in the top for venting. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and continue baking until pasta is soft. A quick pass under the broiler makes for a nice crust on the cheese if desired. Serve hot.

* If you’ve never made lasagna, you will effectively be cooking the pasta in the liquid of the sauce so make sure there is enough sauce on top. Be generous - you don’t want crunchy pasta. 

Printable .pdf available here

All-Purpose Marinara
Recipe by Amber Share

This is a very easy marinara recipe for use in pasta recipes and for lasagna when fresh tomatoes are not in season. It can be made 2 days ahead and also freezes well.

2 cans (28 ounces) puréed tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan. All at once, to the hot oil, add all ingredients except salt & pepper. Fry on high heat for 5 minutes (this gives it more flavor), stirring frequently. Add salt & pepper. Simmer 20 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Printable .pdf available here