Easy Sausage and Mushroom Lasagne

It’s really easy. I promise. Like, pile some stuff in a pan easy.

It’s not fast. There’s a fair bit of chopping, then some cooking, then a lot of assembling, then a lot more cooking. But all those steps are straightforward, and it’s very difficult for me to imagine what you could do wrong (unintentionally) to make this dish taste bad.

It’s not especially cheap. The ingredients all together will run you about $30.

But it’s good. Oh how it’s good. And it also feeds four really hungry men on a winter night with a few servings to spare. It’s lasagne, and its a good thing.

Obligatory Garfield reference, then the jump.

Garfield loves lasagne.

Jump.I wrote not all that long ago that even though homemade tomato sauce is quick and easy, jarred sauce has its place. This is its place. Someday, when I have room for a giant chest freezer, I’ll have gallons of homemade sauce stored up. Until then, Trader Joe’s organic marinara is my lasagne standby.

No-cook lasagne noodles are a modern marvel. Regular noodles require pre-ccoking, and I don’t want to get involved in any precooking. You can just crack these babies and pile them in. They come out perfectly cooked.

This recipe comes from Bon Appetit, via Epicurious. I’ve printed it verbatim, but I make three recommendations: (1) Slice your own mushrooms, (2) use dried marjoram and oregano and a bit of fresh basil instead of “seasoning blend,” and (3) grate your own cheese; Parmesan and Romano are good bets.

Also, (4) make soon.

Sausage and Mushroom Lasagne
from Bon Appetit

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 8-ounce packages sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning blend
1 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup dry red wine
4 2/3 cups marinara sauce (from two 26-ounce jars)
1 9-ounce package no-cook lasagna noodles
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
2 8-ounce bags Italian blend grated cheese (4 cups)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and seasoning blend; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add sausage and sautéuntil brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add wine; cook until almost all liquid evaporates, scraping up browned bits, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Spread 2/3 cup marinara sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Place noodles (about 4) over sauce, forming 1 layer (noodles may overlap slightly). Spread 1 cup sauce over noodles. Top with 1/3 of ricotta, then 1 cup grated cheese. Spoon 1/3 of sausage mixture over. Repeat 2 more times with noodles, sauce, ricotta, grated cheese, and sausage mixture. Cover with 4 more noodles. Spoon remaining 1 cup sauce over; sprinkle remaining 1 cup grated cheese over. Cover with foil, tenting in center to prevent cheese from touching foil. Bake lasagna 45 minutes; remove foil. Bake until bubbling at edges and cheese is browned, about 10 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes.