Lasagna is a delicious and hearty dish, but putting it all together can be a bit of a chore. This recipe takes some of the steps out of traditional lasagna while keeping all of the deliciousness intact! Here is my version of series different recipes I’ve mashed up and tested over many iterations of this recipe, What I have below is what I think is the most scrumptious version – I hope you do to!
Ingredients
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lb. lean ground beef or turkey
2 jars (each 24 oz.) marinara sauce ( We like Rao’s Marinara Sauce)
I 14.5 oz petite cut tomatoes in tomato juice (I use S&W brand canned tomatoes)
I Tablespoon double concentrated tomato paste
½ cup water
½ cup red wine
12 ounces cup whole-milk ricotta cheese (I use Bellwether Farms whole milk ricotta – it has a mild, creamy flavor, almost like a bechamel sauce)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
10-12 ruffle-edged lasagna noodles (not no-boil noodles)
1 ½ lbs. grated mozzarella cheese
1 ½ cups finely grated parmesan cheese
Fresh basil for garnish
Directions
In a large stovetop pan, cook the Italian sausage and ground beef (or turkey) over medium heat, breaking up any large chunks with a spoon, until the meat is browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the meat (to make this easier, I use a baster and a glass measuring cup instead of removing the meat from the pan), then add the marinara sauce, petite cut tomatoes in their juice, tomato paste, red wine and water and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, parsley, salt and pepper. Set aside.
Start to layer:
- In the insert of the slow-cooker, spread a thin layer of the meat sauce on the bottom.
- Cover the sauce with a single layer of uncooked lasagna noodles, breaking the noodles as needed to fit.
- Spread about 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles using a rubber spatula.
- Top with about 2 cups of the sauce, then sprinkle with about 1/3 of the mozzarella and 1/3 of the parmesan cheese.
- Repeat the layering 2 more times, starting with the noodles and ending with the shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Bake and cool:
Place the insert into the slow-cooker base, cover and cook on low until the noodles are tender and cooked through, about 2 ½ – 3 hours.
Position a rack in the center of an oven and preheat to broil.
Transfer the slow-cooker insert to the oven and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes. Serve with slices of fresh basil.
