There’s something special about Italian food during the holidays, and few dishes can top a homemade lasagna for Christmas. Layers of noodles, meat, cheese and homemade sauce are flavored with fennel seeds, garlic and crushed red pepper for a hearty and heartwarming entree. The baked dish is elegant enough to serve for your holiday dinner, but simple enough to make for busy weeknights.
The key to any good pasta dish is a great sauce. To make the sauce for this recipe, start by cooking the sausage. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, start sauteeing the onion, bell peppers and garlic. When the sausage is crumbled and cooked through, drain any excess fat, then stir in the crushed tomatoes and cooked vegeteables. Add in the chicken stock until the sauce is slightly liquidy. Add in your seasonings and let the mixture simmer for about 20 minutes.
While it may seem a bit thin, chicken stock guarantees that the sauce is watery enough for the no-boil noodles to cook while getting extra flavor. Keep in mind, that this recipe yields more sauce than you'll need, but just store it in the freezer and save it for later.
Once the sauce is done, you can construct the lasagna with your noodles, sauce, ricotta and mozzarella cheese. Bake the dish for about 45 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and golden brown. Serve the dish alongside more holiday favorites, like honey glazed ham and green bean casserole.
Sausage Lasagna
Ingredients:
