Lasagna Made Lighter

Made with a combination of crumbled Italian sausage and ground meat, sautéed mushrooms, four types of cheese, and homemade marinara sauce, our sausage lasagna is a lighter, modern version of a classic that always gets us rave reviews from family and friends.

The techniques we use to make our lasagna fresher tasting and less dense lie mostly in the choice of ingredients as opposed to the execution (although we do have a few tips).

Homemade lasagna is not a quick-to-fix recipe, but it is easy, which makes it a great choice for a make-ahead meal for entertaining or Sunday dinner with the family. It’s also the perfect “cook once, eat twice (or more)” meal because it freezes well and reheats beautifully. 

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

• Oven-ready (no-boil) lasagna noodles: In addition to being real time-savers, no-boil lasagna noodles are thin, delicate, and have a taste and texture similar to sheets of freshly-made pasta.
• Italian chicken (or turkey) sausage: To keep a lighter taste and texture, our top choice for making lasagna is sweet Italian chicken sausage. However, we have used traditional Italian sausage made with pork, as well.
• Ground chicken (or turkey): We combine our Italian sausage with ground chicken to keep things light, but if you’re not a fan of either, go ahead and use a combination of pork sausage and ground beef or pork. Your meat layers will be somewhat richer, making the overall dish somewhat heavier but still delicious.
• Cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms: We like the texture and umami flavor that sautéed mushrooms add to the meat mixture. You can substitute white button mushrooms if need be (they’re just a little less flavorful), or omit them entirely if you prefer.
• Ricotta cheese: We’ve used both part-skim and whole milk ricotta and found that the whole milk version has a smoother texture. Either one will work, though, so choose whichever type you like best.
• Asiago cheese: This smooth-blending cow’s milk cheese adds a nutty flavor and a bit of sharpness to the ricotta filling. To achieve the best texture, choose a semi-soft version that’s been aged for less than six months. BelGioioso is a brand made in Wisconsin that we use often, and it’s readily available in many supermarkets.
• Mozzarella: We use finely shredded mozzarella and scatter it on top of each meat layer and the top of the lasagna during the last few minutes of baking.
• Parmesan cheese: With its signature bold, sharp flavor, shredded Parmesan, both in the ricotta filling and on the top of the finished lasagna, lends an overall umami quality that really brings together the flavor profile of the cheese mixture. It’s best if you can grate it fresh, though, as pre-grated tends to be rather dry and grainy.
• Fresh basil: We add fresh basil to the ricotta filling and the marinara sauce. It adds a bright herbaceous note as well as a little color, but you can certainly substitute fresh parsley, and add a little dried basil instead – just remember to cut back the quantity to 1/3 the amount of fresh.
• Marinara sauce: Our standard homemade marinara recipe is included here. It makes somewhere between six and seven cups, so you may have some sauce left over. It keeps for 4 to 5 days in the fridge and freezes well, too.

How to Make Sausage Lasagna

This is an overview of how this dish is made. Detailed measurements, ingredients, instructions, and times are available in the printable version of the recipe below.

Make the marinara sauce:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the chopped onion until soft and translucent, then add the minced garlic and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant and golden, stirring constantly to prevent it from browning.
2. Add the tomatoes along with their liquid and using a wooden spoon, break them up as much as possible. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
3. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, add a pinch of dried oregano, then simmer for another 8 to 12 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Adjust the seasoning again if desired and stir in the chopped parsley and basil. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Prepare the meat sauce:

1. Coat the bottom of a large frying pan with a small amount of olive oil and place it on the stove over medium heat.
2. Remove the sausage from its casing and add it to the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it begins to sizzle. Add the ground meat and continue breaking the mixture up to as fine a texture as possible as it cooks.
3. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the diced onion, chopped mushrooms, and minced garlic. 
4. Continue cooking until the entire mixture is lightly browned.
5. Spoon about half of the prepared marinara sauce into the meat mixture, combine and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the flavors to blend. Remove from the heat and let cool for at least 10 minutes before assembling the lasagna.

Prepare the cheese filling:

1. Add the ricotta cheese, eggs, salt, and pepper to a mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until light and fluffy. Gently fold in the asiago, mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses along with the fresh basil and set aside.

Assemble the lasagna:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and thoroughly coat a deep lasagna pan (13″ x 9-1/2″ x 3″) with nonstick cooking spray. Pour about half the can of tomato sauce into the bottom and tilt the pan back and forth to coat.
2. Arrange four of the no-boil lasagna noodles in the bottom, overlapping them to fit. Top with 1/2 of the meat sauce and gently spread it over the noodles with a spatula being careful not to dislodge the noodles.
3. Scatter about 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese on top of the meat, then add another layer of noodles. Top this layer with about half of the cheese mixture and spread over the noodles, stopping about 1/2 inch from the edges all around.
4. Add another layer of noodles, top with the remaining meat sauce, scatter another 1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella, and top with four more noodles and the remaining cheese mixture, spreading it as you did on the prior layer.
5. Top with one more layer of noodles, and coat those with some marinara sauce. Spoon the remainder of the plain tomato sauce around the edges of the lasagna to cover any bare portion of the noodles.

Bake the lasagna:

1. Cut a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to completely cover the lasagna pan and coat with nonstick spray. Crimp the foil around the edges of the pan to form a tight seal, but try to leave a little space between the foil and the top of the lasagna to prevent sticking. Bake for one hour.
2. You can test your lasagna for doneness by piercing the center with a paring knife. If the noodles are tender, your knife shouldn’t meet any resistance.
3. Remove the lasagna from the oven, uncover and top with grated Parmesan and grated mozzarella. Return to the oven for a few minutes until the cheese on top has melted. Allow the lasagna to rest for about 15 minutes before cutting.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Sausage lasagna can be made ahead and stored without baking first. Be sure to allow the meat and sauce to cool to room temperature before assembling the lasagna. Once assembled, tightly cover the pan with two layers of plastic wrap and either freeze for up to 2 months, or refrigerate for up to 2 days. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Bake the lasagna according to the original recipe instructions.

Storing Leftover Lasagna

Lasagna should always be allowed to cool before storing in the refrigerator or freezer.

• Refrigerated: If you plan to use your leftover lasagna within 4 days, keep it tightly wrapped in foil or an airtight container and place it in the coldest part of your refrigerator.
• Frozen: Wrap leftover lasagna tightly in foil, then place in a zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheating Tips

Whether frozen or refrigerated, some of the moisture in your leftover lasagna will get absorbed during storage, so it’s wise to have a little extra sauce on hand for reheating.

Reheat covered lasagna in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on portion size. Check halfway through the baking time to see if any portion of the lasagna looks dry. If so, spoon some sauce on it and return it to the oven. Let reheated lasagna rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Internal Temperature: Naturally, you want to serve your lasagna piping hot, so you can use an instant-read digital thermometer to check the temperature. A reading of 160° to 165°F is ideal, as the temperature will drop as the lasagna rests before cutting.