Amy on the Daily: Amy's Lasagna

I am a big fan of lasagna. One of the best things about it- is its versatility. You can make it way in advance and freeze it for a rainy day, you can add a ton of ingredients and make it delish and its a complete crowd pleaser.

Recently two sets of my best friends had a baby and I thought there would be no better gesture than to provide them a nice home cooked meal made with love.

In the past I've often followed Ina's recipe for Turkey Lasagna, and I did in some ways still, but change it up based on what I had on hand. I was highly inspired when I went to sprouts and saw both sweet and hot Italian Spicy Sausage on sale.I bought a couple packs and some noodles/ricotta/Parmesan/to-go containers and dashed home to make my lasagnas.

Here's my recipe and some pics:

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 jars tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lasagna noodles- (I buy the no-boil kind)
15 ounces ricotta cheese
3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, shredded

DIRECTIONS:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the 2 types of sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly browned. Add the tomato sauce, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish (or in my case two smaller to-go baking dishes), spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan.

I froze my lasagnas after this so I could deliver nicely to my friends.

I directed them to:
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 35-45 minutes until cheese is bubbling and golden.