Food and Friendship

Santa Barbara

let’s have lasagna

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In Joan’s amazing family cookbook, La Cucina Marinello:Three Generations of Italian Cooking, there are so many great recipes.  So when we had a hankering for lasagna last week, I turned to that particular page and got started!  We’ve come across so many variations of this dish over the years, some with spinach, some with mushrooms, some with goat cheese (or as my 2-year-old granddaughter says, “chevre”), all claiming to be “the best!”  In truth, they’re all delicious, and in fact, Joan recently made one with slices of eggplant to rave reviews. This one takes its ingredients from a combination of tried and true recipes, all designed to remind you how cozy and comforting lasagna can be..

If you’re avoiding dairy, meat, or gluten, well, move along and we’ll see you next time.  But if you want a perfectly wonderful treat to share with your quarantine pod on a brisk fall evening, here’s our newest version of a classic lasagna bolognese, filled with creamy layers of meaty goodness!

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Lasagna Bolognese
 
We recently made this updated variation of the Cucina Marinello lasagna we have posted before, this time using a few different ingredients, most notably the turkey sweet sausage, resulting in a lighter dish than classic beef lasagna. If you're not a fan of the flavorings in sausage, you can use ground turkey instead. Make it your own with vegetables or different cheeses, and enjoy!
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound Italian sweet turkey sausage (or 1 pound ground turkey)
  • 1 pound ground sirloin
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ pound lasagna noodles
  • 1 pound ricotta cheese
  • 3-4 ounces goat cheese (optional)
  • 1¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1-pound shredded mozzarella
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
  2. To make the sauce:
  3. In a large skillet, heat the oil.
  4. Add onion and cook 5 minutes over medium-low heat until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for 1 additional minute.
  5. Add the sausage and ground sirloin, breaking apart with a fork, and cook until meat is no longer pink
  6. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, salt and pepper, and simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.
  7. To prepare lasagna noodles: Fill a large pot ⅔ with water, cover and bring water to a rolling boil over high heat. Generously salt the water, add a splash of olive oil, and the lasagna. Cook until al dente (firm to the bite); stir occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and hang the strips side by side over the edge of the pot allowing time for the lasagna to cool slightly.
  8. To make the ricotta mixture: In a medium bowl, add the ricotta, goat cheese (if using), 1 cup of Parmesan, eggs, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix until smooth. Set aside.
  9. To assemble the lasagna: Evenly spread ½ cup of the sauce over the bottom of a large baking pan (13 by 9 by 3-inch).
  10. Continue by layering as follows:
  11. Arrange a single layer of noodles lengthwise overlapping the edges slightly to cover the bottom of the pan,
  12. Using a spatula, continue layering, spreading ½ of the ricotta mixture, ½ the mozzarella, and 2 cups of sauce over the noodles.
  13. Repeat, layering pasta, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, sauce.
  14. End by sprinkling ¼ cup Parmesan on top.
  15. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered or until bubbly and a knife inserted in the center comes out hot to the touch.
  16. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into 3-inch squares and serve.