The Best Ever Lasagna

Name: The Best Ever Lasagna
Prep time: 2 h 45 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 3 h 45 min
Yield: 15 servings
Cuisine: Asian Dinners, Asian Recipes, Indian Recipes, Italian Dinners, Italian Recipes
Ingredients: 1 medium onion, chopped; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste; 2 cans (28 ounces each ) crushed tomatoes in puree; 6 cups water; 1 cup chopped fresh basil; 2-1/4 teaspoons sugar, divided; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 pound bulk Italian sausage; 4 Italian sausage links; 1 carton (16 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese; 8 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided; 1 large egg, beaten; 1/4 teaspoon dried basil; 12 sheets no-cook lasagna noodles; 21 slices provolone cheese; 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

My brother, Joe, created this lasagna based on our mom’s recipe. It’s a family favorite at Christmas, thanks to the special ingredients that make it magnifico. —Stephanie Marchese, Taste of Home Visual Production Director

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 cans (28 ounces each ) crushed tomatoes in puree
6 cups water
1 cup chopped fresh basil
2-1/4 teaspoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
4 Italian sausage links
1 carton (16 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese
8 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
12 sheets no-cook lasagna noodles
21 slices provolone cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook onion in olive oil over medium heat until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 3-4 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, water, fresh basil, 2 teaspoons sugar and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cook bulk sausage in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles, 8-10 minutes; drain. Add to sauce; simmer until mixture is thickened, about 1 hour longer.
While sauce simmers, preheat oven to 350°. Place sausage links on a rimmed baking sheet; roast until cooked through, 35-40 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly; slice into 1/4-in.-thick pieces.
In a small bowl, mix ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, egg, dried basil and remaining sugar.
In a greased 13x9-in. baking dish, spread 2 cups sauce. Arrange 4 noodles over sauce; spread with a third of the ricotta mixture. Add 7 provolone slices, a third of the sliced sausage and 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times, using only 1 cup sauce per layer. Spread with 2 cups sauce (reserve remaining sauce for serving on the side), remaining 2-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese (dish will be full).
Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, uncovered, until bubbly and deep golden brown, 60-65 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serve with remaining meat sauce.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 509 calories, 33g fat (15g saturated fat), 106mg cholesterol, 1185mg sodium, 27g carbohydrate (9g sugars, 3g fiber), 29g protein.

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Reviews

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Average Rating:

Just a pinch

Jan 4, 2020

Too much Sausage, That's all you can taste. Traditional (Northern Lasagna) had much more flavor This is my tried and true recipe: 1 pound Italian sausage or hamburger 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon whole basil, optional 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 can tomato paste 1 pound can of tomatoes 10 ounces Lasagne Noodles, cooked, drained and rinsed Cheese Filling 3 cups cottage cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese 2 teaspoons parsley flakes 2 teaspoons salt 2 eggs 1 teaspoon pepper 1 pound mozzarella, sliced very thin Sauce: Cook all together. Cheese Filling: Beat eggs, cottage cheese, grated cheese, parsley, salt and Pepper together. 13X9X2" baking dish Layer noodles. Spread with half the cheese filling, meat sauce and mozzarella. Repeat layers. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
Tanya

Sep 8, 2019

This is the best lasagna recipe I've ever made! Next time I will add more sausage to the sauce. It did take some time to make but my family thought it was well worth the effort.
Ken

Aug 7, 2019

If I printed out the recipe that my Sicilian friends gave me, It would be very close to this recipe. I love it. I doubt the Sicilian friends have no-cook lasagna noodles. BTW, to those that say they will used cooked noodles next time, don't forget to decrease the water. Cooked noodles won't take up that water. I would also say that all people are different and their tastes are different as well. The Italians from the North even have a different dialect and make different meals than the Italians (and Sicilians) in the South. Just accept what you like and discard what you don't like.
Mh2890

Mar 3, 2019

Flavor was not to our liking. No cook lasagna noodles did not cook-would recommend using cooked noodles. Flavor wasnand#039;t that great as the sausage over powered everything else. Also expensive to make - $40.00 to $50.00 average. A lot of effort to make. Would not make again or recommend others make it Remainder just went into the trash..
annsway1

Feb 26, 2019

Someone brought this to work; it was wonderful. Wouldn't change a thing; great old world flavor!!!!
Juanecita

Feb 26, 2019

Hi,Yes,too much work..it is a particular family recipe as lasagna does NOT use provolone...and dried ready made pasta is also ridiculous.Lasagna does take much prep time...generally true lasagna does NOT use sausage.You can make a ground meat Bolognese sauce ,one day..and the next proceed to use it in the layers.Fresh mozzarella sliced thinly,not ready bought shredded cheese is far better.As you may see ,perhaps this recipe is more Italian authentic..which I have been making for some sixty years.Buon appetito.Gianetta
Brenda

Feb 15, 2019

This recipe was A LOT of work and mess. Too much sauce, so much leftover, and way too much cheese. Just cheese overkill. It was ok, but for all the work, and not to mention EXPENSE, would never make again. It wasn’t that great.
Brenda

Feb 9, 2019

Looks delicious will certainly try this
Beverly

Feb 4, 2019

Excellent - don't usually add sausage and liked the flavor it added.Recommend! Re other reviews - Jon I presume you were kidding about the tomatos.As for meme and other meme,why bother to comment at all. What's wrong with people?! Thank you Stephanie for sharing this great recipe
Jon

Jan 13, 2019

I'm particular about lasagna, so while I loved this recipe (as did the rest of the family I served it for), I've got a few comments. First, the amount of cheese is slightly obscene :) I think I only used six to seven of the 8 cups of mozzarella, wondering if the amount listed in the magazine was a typo. It wasn't! No one at my table thought it was a low-cheese dish, though, so that turned out fine. I used a 9x13" metal lasagna pan for this, and didn't end up with anything bubbling over the edges. I actually had trouble finding "crusted tomatoes in puree" at the store, which is weird; I know I used to be able to find the stuff at this particular S