Italian sausage & spinach messy lasagna
Italian sausage & spinach messy lasagna
Both my mom and my dad’s side of the family are Sicilian. I love Italian food. And I love cooking…obvi. But making lasagna is not at the top of my list. It’s too much layering and 1/3 of this then 1/3 of that. I know, it’s ridiculous. This yummy dish has all the flavors of a great lasagna but I just sort of threw it all into a skillet on my stove. It’s messy. And delish.
Make it your own…Swap the sweet sausage for spicy or ground beef or turkey. Swap the spinach and add mushrooms or roasted red peppers, cubes of roasted eggplant or butternut squash.
THE DISH:
Italian sausage & spinach messy lasagna | serves 8-10
THE STUFF:
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausage
8 dried lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons ground oregano
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
THE HOW-TO:
Warm the EVOO in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the sausage and, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, cook until there is no pink left. (If you use ground beef you may want to drain some of the grease at this point.)
Add the noodles on top and then the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, the water and oregano. Do not stir! If the noodles fall to the bottom of the pan they will stick. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the top and stir well to combine. Cover and cook for 10 more minutes.
Add the spinach and cook just until it wilts. Dot with dollops of ricotta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook just until the cheese gets melty, about 5 minutes.
Top with shredded mozzarella and put under the broiler until golden brown. Finish with basil and serve!