Italian Sausage Lasagna

Whether you prefer a sweet or spicy variety, there’s no denying the delicious versatility of Italian sausage.

The predominant flavor in ‘mild’ Italian sausage is fennel, or actual anise, a licorice like flavor with a little more earthiness. This emulates the style of sausages in Northern Italy, known for milder flavors with a noticeable presence of both fennel and garlic. It will also typically have a small amount of red pepper flakes to open up the flavors.

The ‘hot’ designation means a higher content of pepper flakes, or the addition of cayenne, giving you that spicier flavor that is more common in the southern regions of Italy.

‘Sweet’ is pretty straightforward, little bit of sugar, milder flavors around that, sometimes some mild herbs, typically a lot of basil and such to round it out.

In this meal, the layers of lasagna noodles blanket a creamy béchamel sauce and a filling with a savory ‘Italian sausage’ flavor and tender artichokes. Truly a comfort food meal.

Print Recipe

Italian Sausage Lasagna

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:

Rate this recipe!

Course

Main Dish

Cuisine

American, Italian

Keyword

Italian sausage lasagna

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Filling

• 170 ml marinated artichokes, sliced in half PLUS marinade oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup onion, finely diced
• 200 gm mushrooms, chopped
• 454 gm lean, ground pork
• 4 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp fennel seed
• 1/4 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt

Béchamel Sauce

• 6 Tbsp butter, unsalted
• 1/2 cup flour
• 6 cups milk
• salt & white pepper to taste
• pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Other Ingredients

• 12 lasagna noodles
• 170 gm Romano cheese, grated
• 170 gm mozzarella cheese, grated

Course Main Dish Cuisine American, Italian Keyword Italian sausage lasagna Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Filling 170 ml marinated artichokes, sliced in half PLUS marinade oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup onion, finely diced 200 gm mushrooms, chopped 454 gm lean, ground pork 4 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, sliced 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tsp Italian seasoning 3/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp fennel seed 1/4 tsp Paprika 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp salt Béchamel Sauce 6 Tbsp butter, unsalted 1/2 cup flour 6 cups milk salt & white pepper to taste pinch of nutmeg (optional) Other Ingredients 12 lasagna noodles 170 gm Romano cheese, grated 170 gm mozzarella cheese, grated

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Filling

1. Drain artichokes (reserving oil) & slice in halves; set aside. In a heavy skillet, heat artichoke marinade oil; sauté garlic, onions & mushrooms for a few minutes.
2. Add ground pork, sun-dried tomatoes & spices. Cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; add artichokes. Remove from skillet & set aside until ready to assemble lasagna.

Béchamel Sauce

1. In the skillet, melt butter over low heat. Once the butter is completely melted and bubbling, add the flour & mix well. Cook for a couple of minutes until flour just begins to take on some color.
2. Slowly start adding the milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming. Continue to simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, stirring often. Season with a pinch of salt, white pepper & nutmeg.
3. Set aside until you are ready to use, by pouring the sauce into a glass bowl & covering with a buttered sheet of plastic wrap. Cook lasagna noodles. Grate cheeses.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish, spread 1/2 cup of the béchamel sauce on the bottom. (Set aside 1 cup of the béchamel sauce for the top.) Arrange a single layer of lasagna noodles over sauce; spread some of the filling over noodles, top with a sprinkling of the grated cheeses. (Make sure to reserve a bit of cheese for the topping.) Repeat layers, ending with noodles.
3. Spread the reserved 1 cup of béchamel sauce over the noodles & top withy the remaining grated cheese. Cover with foil, bake for 35 minutes, remove foil & bake until bubbly & lightly browned on top, about another 15-20 minutes.
4. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.