Lasagna Tonight

Dine in like you might dine out at a family-style Italian restaurant. Start the lasagna first. No-boil noodles, pasta sauce in a jar, and ready-made pesto condense the prep time to 15 minutes. While it bakes (about an hour), make the salad, help the kids with homework, or take a few minutes for yourself. -SHIRLEY HARRINGTON

Easy Lasagna

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

PREP: 15 MIN., BAKE: 55 MIN., STAND: 15 MIN.

Scrape the layer of solidified oil from the top of the container of pesto, and discard. Then measure the pesto.

1 lb. mild Italian sausage

1 (15-oz.) container part-skim ricotta cheese

¼ cup refrigerated ready-made pesto

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 (26-oz.) jars pasta sauce

9 no-boil lasagna noodles

4 cups (16 oz.) shredded Italian threecheese blend or mozzarella cheese

1. Remove and discard casings from sausage. Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain.

2. Stir together ricotta cheese, pesto, and egg.

3. Spread half of 1 jar pasta sauce evenly in a lightly greased 13- x9-inch baking dish. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles (noodles should not touch each other or sides of dish), half of ricotta mixture, half of sausage, 1 cup three-cheese blend, and remaining half of 1 jar pasta sauce. Repeat layers using 3 lasagna noodles, remaining ricotta mixture, remaining sausage, 1 cup three-cheese blend. Top with remaining 3 noodles and second jar of pasta sauce, covering noodles completely. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 cups three-cheese blend.

4. Bake, covered, at 350° for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes or until cheese is melted and edges are lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes. VICTORIA AUSTEN MOON

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Classico Tomato & Basil spaghetti sauce and Barilla Lasagne OvenReady noodles.

For More Info

Fix-and-freeze lasagna recipes: southernliving.com/october2006

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Oct 2006
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