Easy Holiday Lasagna

Name: Easy Holiday Lasagna
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 8

30 MINPrep Time

50 MINCook Time

8Servings

by Giadzy

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Photo Credit: Elizabeth Newman

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It's not a holiday dinner in Giada's house without baked pasta, and there's nothing more appropriate for the occasion than lasagna! This version makes it so easy to whip up, but doesn't sacrifice any flavor or satisfaction.

You can absolutely make this dish ahead of time, too! Assemble the lasagna, and then cover and let it sit in the fridge for a few days until you're ready to bake it to bubbly perfection.

Giadzy easy holiday lasagna

Easy Holiday Lasagna

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Servings

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

50 minutes

Ingredients

For The Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sweet or mild Italian sausage, casing removed
2 19.4-ounce jars of prepared tomato sauce, such as Bio Orto

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For The Ricotta:

2 cups (16 ounce) of whole milk ricotta, excess liquid drained
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano

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1 1/2 teaspoons Tuscan salt blend, or kosher salt to taste
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

For The Assembly:

2 tablespoons olive oil, for the pan
1 pound lasagna sheets
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese, for topping
Basil for garnish, optional

Instructions

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. After a minute, add the Italian sausage to the hot pan. Cook the sausage, breaking it into small pieces with the back of wooden spoon, until the sausage is lightly browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat, and add the tomato sauce directly to the pan. Add a quarter cup of water to the jar and swish around to get all of the remaining sauce out, and add to the pan. Stir to combine and set aside.
While the tomato sauce cools slightly, make the ricotta mixture. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmigiano, oregano, Tuscan salt, spinach and basil.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Blanch the pasta sheets until just slightly cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove the pasta from the water using tongs and lay out on a baking sheet to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish by evenly coating with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Spread a layer of the sausage tomato sauce, about 1 cup, to the bottom of the pan. Lay down a layer of the lasagna sheets to cover (there will be 4 pasta layers total). Take half of the ricotta mixture and dollop over the lasagna sheets, and spread out to evenly coat. Add another layer of lasagna sheets, then half of the remaining sausage tomato sauce. Add the lasagna sheets on top, one more layer of ricotta, a final layer of pasta, then one final layer of sausage tomato sauce. Top evenly with the mozzarella and Parmigiano.
Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for about 30 minutes, when the cheese has started to melt and you can hear the lasagna sizzling. Remove the foil and finish baking for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
Allow the lasagna to cool and set for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.