We wanted an extra-cheesy sausage lasagna that was full of all the flavors of Italian sausage and that held up structurally when served (rather than slipping into a flat mess on the plate like so many others). The right choice of ingredients—and our precise layering technique—make for the most flavorful and structurally sound lasagna we’ve ever had.
Notes
- You can use either sweet or hot Italian sausage here.
- A 1-pound box of dry lasagna noodles should yield enough for this lasagna, but sometimes it’s best to buy two boxes in case some of the noodles are broken.
- Note that the Pecorino Romano is ground in the food processor (it can also be purchased preground).
- Attach the shredding disk of your food processor to make quick work of shredding the mozzarella and provolone, or use the large holes of a box grater.
- TO MAKE AHEAD: At end of step 7, cover dish with greased aluminum foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, bake lasagna as directed in step 8, increasing covered baking time to 55 minutes.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 1-pound fennel bulb - stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and chopped coarse
- 1 onion - chopped coarse
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 4 cloves garlic - peeled
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds Italian sausage - casings removed
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
Lasagna
- 17 curly-edged lasagna noodles
- table salt - for cooking pasta
- vegetable cooking spray
- 1 pound whole-milk mozzarella cheese - shredded (4 cups)
- 8 ounces Provolone cheese - shredded (2 cups)
- 4 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese - ground fine in food processor (3/4 cup)
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 pound whole-milk ricotta cheese - (2 cups)
Instructions
FOR THE SAUCE:
- Combine the fennel, onion, sage, garlic, fennel seeds, and pepper flakes in food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about 10 pulses; set aside.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking.
- Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a potato masher, until the sausage begins to sizzle in its own fat, about 15 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the fennel mixture.
- Cook until the vegetables are softened and fragrant, about 4 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
- Set aside off heat.
- Reserve 2 cups sauce for topping.
FOR THE LASAGNA:
Prepare the noodles:
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.
- Add the noodles and 1 tablespoon of salt and cook until just shy of al dente, about 7 minutes.
- Drain the noodles and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
- Spray the noodles lightly with oil spray; toss gently to coat (to prevent them from sticking to each other).
- Cut 2 of the noodles in half crosswise.
Prepare the cheese mixture:
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with oil spray.
- Combine the mozzarella, provolone, Pecorino, and oregano in a bowl.
- Reserve 2 cups of the mozzarella mixture for topping.
Build the lasagna:
- Lay 3 noodles lengthwise in the prepared dish with the ends touching the short side of the dish, leaving a gap at the far end.
- Lay 1 half noodle crosswise to fill the gap.
- Spread 1½ cups meat sauce over the noodles.
- Dollop ½ cup of the ricotta cheese over the sauce. Use the back of a spoon to spread the ricotta cheese evenly over the sauce.
- Sprinkle with 1 cup of the mozzarella mixture.
- Repeat the layering of noodles, meat sauce, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella mixture 3 more times, switching position of half noodle to opposite end of dish each time.
- Lay the remaining 3 noodles over the top, centered between each end (there is no half noodle for the top layer).
- Spread the reserved 2 cups of sauce over the top layer of noodles, then sprinkle with the reserved 2 cups of mozzarella mixture.
Bake and serve:
- Spray a sheet of aluminum foil with oil spray and cover the lasagna.
- Set the lasagna on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Discard the foil covering the lasagna and continue to bake until the top layer of the lasagna is spotty brown and the lasagna is hot throughout, about 30 minutes longer.
- Let the lasagna cool for 45 minutes. Slice and serve.