Spinach & Chicken Sausage Lasagna

Lasagna is possibly my favorite food of all time so I practiced making it many times. Try to use the best lasagna noodles and canned tomatoes you can find because it makes a huge difference in the finished product.


dried lasagna noodles (preferably organic)
kosher salt
olive oil

Filling:
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg (beaten)
5 oz. trader joe's shaved parmesan, romano & asiago blend (save a handful for the top)
bag of frozen spinach (defrost in a microwave and push the water out in a mesh strainer)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
pinch of kosher salt
a few grinds of black pepper

Tomato Sauce:
two 28oz cans of tomatoes (preferably organic, pureed in a blender)
4 cloves or garlic (minced)
1 medium sized onion (chopped fine)
1lb. Italian chicken sausage
small handful of fresh basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
pinch of sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
a few grinds of black pepper
olive oil

Heat a liberal amount of olive oil in a large dutch oven or pot. Sautee onion until translucent with salt and black pepper. Add sausage and garlic and cook until onions are slightly browned and sausage is cooked. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for about 30 minutes over low heat.

I use a 15 x 10 x 2 baking dish. For this size pan it takes about 8 lasagna noodles for each layer, so 16 total. You will need to arrange the dried noodles in your pan first to figure out how much you will need.

Meanwhile, boil lasagna in salted water with a bit of olive oil until almost al dente; this is usually around 8 minutes. Mix ricotta with the other filling ingredients.

Layer 1: small amount of tomato sauce

Layer 2: lasagna noodles

Layer 3: filling

Layer 4: lasagna noodles

Layer 5: remaining tomato sauce

Layer 6: sprinkle of remaining cheese

Bake uncovered at 375 F for about 30 minutes. Let sit for at 20 minutes before cutting.