Make Sausage Lasagna that Holds its Shape | America's Test Kitchen

ricotta cheese

🥗Healthier: cottage cheese

💰Cheaper: cream cheese

Cottage cheese is lower in calories and provides a similar texture.

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: turkey sausage

💰Cheaper: ground beef

Turkey sausage is leaner while ground beef is often less expensive.

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: provolone cheese

Part-skim mozzarella reduces fat while provolone can be more affordable.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Nutritional yeast is a dairy-free option while grana padano is a less expensive cheese.

Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add 2 pounds of sweet Italian sausage (casings removed) to the pot and break it up with a potato masher; cook for about 15 minutes until sizzling in its own fat.

Prepare the sofrito by roughly chopping 1 fennel bulb and 1 onion, then adding them to a food processor with 3 tablespoons of chopped sage, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of fennel seed, and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes; pulse until finely chopped.

Add the sofrito to the sausage mixture and reduce heat to medium; cook for about 4 minutes until vegetables soften.

Stir in 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes and 15 ounces of tomato sauce; mix and let simmer for about 5 minutes before removing from heat.

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt; add 17 lasagna noodles and cook for about 7 minutes until just shy of al dente.

Drain the noodles and spread them on a rimmed baking sheet; spray with oil to prevent sticking.

Cut 2 of the noodles in half to fit the baking dish better.

Shred 1 pound of whole milk mozzarella cheese and 8 ounces of provolone cheese; process 4 ounces of Pecorino Romano cheese in the food processor until fine.

In a baking dish, layer 3 noodles, then spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce, followed by 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and 1 cup of the cheese mixture; repeat for 2 more layers, adjusting noodle placement as needed.

For the final layer, place 3 noodles on top and reserve 2 cups of sauce and 2 cups of cheese mixture for topping.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens