Lasagna - Pepperoni or Ground Beef & Italian Sausage Lasagna Recipe
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Category: |
Category: |
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: TOMATO SAUCE:
3 oz. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil (6 tablespoons)
1 Yellow Onion, large, diced
5 Medium Size Garlic Cloves, crushed
6 Roma Tomatoes, skinned and diced or 2 28-oz cans of crushed tomatoes
2 T Basil Leaves, fresh and thinly sliced
1 T Oregano Leaves, fresh and thinly sliced
Salt and Black Pepper to Taste
LASAGNA:
1 lb. Lasagna Pasta sheets or Precooked Lasagna sheets.
2 c Sliced Pepperoni, (I use 1-2lbs, ground beef instead, so it is less greasy Pepperoni is good, just greasy.)
4 c tomato sauce (see recipe ingredients above and instructions below).
1 lb. Ricotta Cheese (16 oz.) (I don't like Ricotta, so I use Cottage Cheese)
16 oz. Mozzarella Cheese, fresh, but in a pinch, you can use grated in a bag.
2 lbs. Bulk Italian Sausage, (not in a casing) cooked
¾ Parmesan Cheese, grated, NOT the powdered kind in a plastic bottle!
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Directions: |
Directions:TOMATO SAUCE: In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onion and cook over medium to low heat until transparent, add garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook for ½ hour over medium to low heat (You can reduce the cooking time of the tomatoes if using the canned tomatoes by just cooking until they are hot). Add basil and oregano, continue to cook for another ½ hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool and store in refrigerator until ready to use. This can be done days before making the lasagna if desired.
Preheat oven to 375º.
ASSEMBLING THE LASAGNA: Boil 6 quarts of water with a pinch of salt, add pasta and cook until al dente (almost done but a little crunch). Remove from water and "shock" it in a bowl of ice water. I don't do this, I use the lasagna sheets that do not require cooking, makes it so much easier.
In skillet or saucepan, cook pepperoni over medium heat until crispy. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel. This could be done when you pre-make the sauce and refrigerated until ready to assemble the lasagna. I don't use the pepperoni because it makes the lasagna really greasy. Instead, I brown 1-2 lbs. of ground beef, drain on a paper towel.
In a 10 x 14 x 3-inch baking dish, pour 1 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom and up the sides of the baking dish. Place ⅓ of the lasagna sheets over the tomato sauce (overlapping pasta sheets by ½- inch). Add ⅓ of the ricotta (or cottage cheese), ⅓ of Mozzarella, ⅓ of sausage, and sprinkle ¼ of Parmesan Cheese. Repeat this layer sequence 2 more times. Bake 375º for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. OR You could also remove from oven and add an additional layer of mozzarella cheese, return to the oven for about 10 to melt cheese, remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes, Serve. Don't forget to cook some garlic bread to serve with the lasagna!
TIP: This dish freezes well. Assemble the lasagna but do not bake until ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator the day before serving, bake at 375º for 45 minutes. |
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Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: I know the name of this is "Pepperoni Lasagna" but in the interest of keeping the dish less greasy, I substituted the ground beef. I like the pepperoni, but the ground beef is good too. You could use your favorite tomato sauce too, but this one is very good. I use much more of the mozzarella cheese, just because we like a lot of it in our lasagna. And I use fresh mozzarella in the form of a pre-sliced log, small pearls or larger balls (and cut it up into cubes.) The recipe calls for Italian Sausage and that is what I use, but I opt for the sweet rather than the spicier version.
I always say, "A recipe is just the starting point for a great dish!". Or at least it is most of the time.
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