Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Tomato-Sausage Lasagna

The following seven casserole dishes are from Martha Stewart.com, Everyday Food - Casserole Classics:

Ingredients

Serves 8

* 12 dried lasagna noodles (about 10 ounces), uncooked
* 2 teaspoons olive oil
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
* 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
* 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
* 2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes in puree
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 6 cups shredded shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/2 pounds)
* 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)

Directions

1. Fill a 9-by-13-inch baking dish two-thirds of the way with hot tap water. Add noodles, and arrange them in alternating directions to prevent sticking. Let soak while preparing sauce.
2. Make sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red-pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add sausage, and cook, stirring and breaking it up, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and their puree, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon; bring to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes. (You should have about 8 cups of sauce.) Season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain noodles, transfer to a baking sheet; dry dish with paper towels. Spoon 1 cup sauce in bottom of dish. Fit 4 noodles in dish (crosswise if using short noodles, lengthwise if using long), overlapping slightly. Cover with 2 cups sauce, 2 cups mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat with another layer, then top with remaining noodles, 3 cups sauce, and the rest of mozzarella and Parmesan. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil, and bake 1 hour.
4. Remove foil, and continue baking until bubbly and browned, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool 20 minutes. Cut and serve.

Note: The lasagna can be assembled up to one day in advance. Cover with foil, and refrigerate. You may have to increase initial baking time by 5 to 10 minutes.

1 comment:

Walker family said...

Hi, Christine. This blog looks great. I can't wait to try some of your recipes and post some of my favorites as well.