Italian Sausage Lasagna

Italian Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large chopped onion, divided
4 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 - 28 ounce crushed tomatoes w/ puree
1 - 15 ounce tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Italian parsley

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage

15 ounce ricotta cheese
1 large egg, beaten slightly

12 oven ready (no-boil) lasagna pasta sheets (7 x 3 1/2-inch)
12 ounce mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Step 1

Tomato Sauce

In a large pot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Saute 1/2 of the chopped onions, 4 tablespoons minced garlic until softened.  Add 2 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 - 15 ounce can of tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning.

Simmer for 15 minutes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Step 2

In a large saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and cook the remaining chopped onions and minced garlic until softened.

Add the sausage and chopped bell pepper.  Cook for 6 minutes, or until sausage is almost cooked.  Break up sausage with utensil.

Once the sausage is almost cooked, pour the mixture into the large pot.  Stir sausage and tomato sauce mixture together.

Simmer for 15 minutes

Step 3

In a large bowl stir together ricotta cheese and slightly beaten egg.

Step 4

Spread 1 cup of cooked sauce into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  The sauce will not cover the bottom of the dish completely.

Cover with 3 lasagna sheets, making sure they do not touch each other.

Spread about 1 1/2 cups of sauce over pasta.

Drop 1/3 portion of ricotta cheese mixture by spoonfuls onto sauce and gently spread with the back of a spoon.

Sprinkle 1/4 portion of mozzarella cheese over ricotta cheese mixture.

REPEAT ABOVE DIRECTIONS AND MAKE TWO MORE LAYERS IN THE SAME MANNER.

After placing the last three pasta sheets, spread the remaining sauce evenly over the top.  Make sure the pasta is completely covered, and then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.

Cover the lasagna dish tightly with foil, and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake lasagna for 10 additional minutes, or until top is bubbling and golden.

Let lasagna stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 8