Recipe Background
The Perfect Lasagna doesn't exi-... oh wait, yes it does. Perfect Lasagna is very much real and your taste buds are about to thank you for making such a delicious discovery. Layers upon layers of tangy marinara sauce, bouncy noodles, spicy sausage, creamy ricotta, tender veggies, and melty cheese, oooh yes, there's lots of melty cheese in this Italian dream-of-a-dish... there's nothing quite as flawless. So, brace yourself for a tasty, good time because you've never experienced a pasta as satisfyingly superlative as Prefect Lasagna!
The Perfect Lasagna doesn't exi-... oh wait, yes it does. Perfect Lasagna is very much real and your taste buds are about to thank you for making such a delicious discovery. Layers upon layers of tangy marinara sauce, bouncy noodles, spicy sausage, creamy ricotta, tender veggies, and melty cheese, oooh yes, there's lots of melty cheese in this Italian dream-of-a-dish... there's nothing quite as flawless. So, brace yourself for a tasty, good time because you've never experienced a pasta as satisfyingly superlative as Prefect Lasagna!
Ingredients
- kosher salt to taste
- 24 ounces (1 1/2 boxes) lasagna noodles
- olive oil to taste
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 4 cloves garlic smashed, divided
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 (12-ounce) package cremini mushrooms stems removed, caps sliced
- 1 zucchini cut in half lengthwise and cut on the bias
- 2 cups ricotta
- 2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano grated, divided
- 2 eggs
- 6-7 basil leaves chiffonade
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella grated
Directions
- Generously season a large pot of water with the salt and bring it to a boil.
- Cook the lasagna noodles in boiling water, in batches, until they are soft and pliable, but not limp, about 6-7 minutes.
- Lay the cooked pasta flat on a sheet tray to cool.
- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
- Add the sausage to the oil and cook, while crumbling, until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked sausage to paper towels and drain the fat from the pan.
- Add the olive oil, 2 cloves of the garlic, and the crushed red pepper to the same pan and cook until the garlic is golden and very aromatic.
- Transfer the garlic cloves from the pan and discard them.
- Add the mushrooms and the salt to the garlic oil and cook, while stirring, until the mushrooms are soft, wilted, and dark brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and discard the excess oil.
- Add the olive oil, the remaining garlic, and the crushed red pepper to the same pan and cook until the garlic is golden and very aromatic.
- Transfer the garlic cloves from the pan and discard them.
- Add the zucchini and the salt to the garlic oil and cook, while stirring, until the zucchini is soft, wilted, and dark brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Transfer the zucchini to a plate and discard the excess oil.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, the eggs, the basil, and the salt.
- In the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish, add a couple ladlefuls of the sauce and evenly spread it out.
- Arrange a layer of the noodles over the sauce.
- Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the pasta.
- Place a layer of the noodles over the ricotta mixture, laying them in the opposite direction of the first noodle layer to provide more stability.
- Spread a light layer of the sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with 1/3 of the sausage.
- Top the sausage with 1/3 of the cooked mushrooms and 1/3 of the cooked zucchini.
- Sprinkle the cooked zucchini with 1/3 of the mozzarella and 1/3 of the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Repeat the lasagna layers, starting with the noodles and ending with the Parmigiano-Reggiano, until the ingredients have all been used or the pan is full.
- Cover the lasagna in foil and place the dish on a baking sheet.
- Bake the lasagna for 1 hour.
- Discard the foil and bake until the lasagna is hot and bubbly, about 15 minutes.
- Let the lasagna cool for 20 minutes.
- Slice and serve.
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