My favorite part of “The Sopranos” was when they would all sit down to dinner. The lavish spreads of homemade pastas and Italian meats always made me a little jealous of Tony as it seemed that being a mob boss did have it’s fare perks. The point is, nobody does big, family-style feasts better than the Italians. They spread out a smorgasbord of homemade goodness then take two hours to eat, talk, and genuinely enjoy their meal with their family. This week, we are trying an old-school Italian dish that should keep the whole family at the table and conversing.

Lasagna

12 oz ground Italian sausage, mild
1 cup onion, chopped medium
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning, crushed
6 dried lasagna noodles
1 egg, beaten
1 15 oz ricotta cheese
¼ cup Parmesan, grated
1 ½ cups mozzarella, shredded

1. To make the sauce cook sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Cook noodles, drain them then rinse with cold water and set aside.
4. To make the filling combine egg, ricotta, and Parmesan. Set aside.
5. In a 2 qt rectangular baking dish, spread ½ cup sauce on the bottom then layer half the noodle on the sauce overlapping where necessary.
6. Next layer half the filling. Top with half of the remaining sauce and half of the mozzarella.
7. Repeat layers till finished.
8. Place baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes.
9. Lets stand for 10 minutes then serve.

Much like all my recipes, this is a base model that can be customized to fit your tastes. You could stack layers of veggies or add spicy sausage. If you have a big crowd to feed, double the recipe. However you choose to make it, enjoy it “Italian” style.

As always,
Stay hungry my friends.

photo jomaaspizza.ca