Lasagna and More Lasagna

Having the Lieutenant home from Quantico, my Dad having a birthday, and cousin Richard visiting from Wales called for a celebration and the opportunity to try out some new recipes. I needed easy to make ahead casserole type dishes for a crowd, so I decided to do lasagna. I tried out two new lasagnas, Ina Garten’s Lasagna with Turkey Sausage from her Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook and a White Lasagna with Caramelized Onions, Chicken and Portobello Mushrooms that I made up (with some help) and three new pies- Aunt Florence’s Apple Pie, Brown Sugar Peach Pie and Sweet Potato Pie.

Today I will tell you about Ina’s Lasagna. Of course, it was utterly delicious. The original recipe called for turkey italian sausage, but since I wasn’t feeling very virtuous I went for the real deal – pork, which is, in fact,  the other (more tasty) white meat.  The interesting thing about this recipe is that it calls for goat cheese to be mixed in with the ricotta cheese. I love goat cheese, so I thought this was brilliant idea. My sister Julie, who only likes velveeta, wouldn’t touch it once she found out there was goat cheese involved.  However, picky eater Coco thought this lasagna was amazing! Of course, I double the recipe, but here is the original. Judge for yourself.

Italian Sausage Lasagna

Based on Lasagna with turkey sausage from the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound lasagna noodles
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet italian sausage (you can use turkey if you really want to)
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes in puree
• 1 6 oz.can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley chopped , divided
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• kosher salt
• ground pepper
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup parmesan grated plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (I grated it)

Cooking Directions:

1. Fry the onion in the olive oil in a large skillet until translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the sausane and cook for 8-10 minutes until no longer pink. Add the tomates, tomato paste, 2 T. of parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Now, Ina says you do not need to cook the noodles- just soak them in hot tap water for 20 minutes. However, I just went ahead a cooked them per the manufacturers directions.
3. In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of parmesan, the egg, 2 T. of parsley, 1/2 t. of salt and 1/4 t. of pepper.
4. Now assemble lasagna: Spread 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of a 9×12 baking dish. Then add a layer of noodles, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta and one third of the sauce. Repeat the layer process again. Sprinkle parmesan on top of the sauce.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
6. Enjoy.