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Homemade Lasagna

Ingredients

  • 1.5 pounds Italian sausage links or bulk, casings removed
  • 1 small sweet Vidalia onion, chopped
  • 16 ounces ricotta cheese or 32 oz if making two lasagnas
  • 1 large egg use 2 eggs if doubling
  • Garlic powder to taste
  • Italian seasoning to taste
  • Dried parsley to taste
  • 1 24-ounce jar of marinara sauce (your favorite brand or homemade)
  • 1/3 to 1/2 jar of water
  • 9-12 dry lasagna noodles not the “oven-ready” kind
  • 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Nonstick spray for pan

Instructions

Prepare the Sausage & Onion

  • Brown the Italian sausage in a skillet over medium heat. Remove casings if necessary; break up sausage as it cooks.
  • Add chopped sweet onion to the skillet. Sauté together until sausage is browned and cooked through. If there’s too much grease, soak a little up with paper towels, but leave a bit for flavor.

Ricotta Cheese Filling

  • In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese (half for one lasagna, whole for two), egg(s), a sprinkle of garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and dried parsley.
  • Mix until everything is creamy and smooth. For easy assembly, spoon the mixture into a zip-top bag and snip off one corner for piping.

Make the Sauce

  • Pour the jar of marinara sauce into the sausage and onion mixture. To the now-empty jar, add 1/3 to 1/2 jar of water, shake to clean out the sauce, and pour into the skillet.
  • Stir well — it should look a little soupy; that’s perfect. The extra liquid helps cook the noodles and gives a perfect texture.

Assemble the Lasagna

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
  • Spread a thin layer of the meat sauce in the bottom of the pan.
  • Lay dry lasagna noodles over the sauce (break as needed to fit).
  • Pipe a line of ricotta filling along each noodle.
  • Add another layer of noodles, followed by more sauce, a little mozzarella, and repeat.
  • Finish with the rest of the sauce on top and a generous layer of mozzarella cheese.

Bake

  • Cover lasagna loosely with foil and bake about 45 minutes.
  • Remove foil during the last 15-20 minutes for a golden cheesy top.
  • Rest 10–15 minutes before cutting.

Video

Notes

Tips from Mary Katherine
• No need to pre-cook the noodles; the extra liquid in the sauce will take care of them.
• Use sausage for deep flavor, but a mix of ground beef and sausage is also delicious.
• This is perfect to double and freeze one for later!