I may not look it, but Italian blood runs through my veins and I LOVE a good pasta dish. Homemade lasagna warms my soul and my belly, but I hesitate when making it because it’s a labor intensive dish. And the noodles! I spend too much time worrying about whether they will break, stick together, and the like. Because of that, I generally compromise with baked ziti, but it just isn’t the same. Then this quick and easy lasagna bake bake came into my life, and I am forever grateful. The inspiration came from Taste of Home’s Lasagna Toss, but has quite a few modifications by me.
Your ingredients
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage (I used my Italian-seasoned ground venison)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups chopped, raw spinach
- 8 oz. noodles of your choice, cooked and drained (I used penne)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- grated parmesan cheese
- parsley
Your Steps to Lasagna Bake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes, until just turning translucent. Add sausage, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Cook until meat is browned. Stir in spaghetti sauce and chopped spinach. Cook until spinach is cooked down, approximately 6-8 minutes. Stir in noodles.
In a small bowl, mix ricotta and 1 ½ c mozzarella together (add more basil and oregano here if you are a spice king or queen!).
Grease a casserole dish. Pour half of the meat mixture into the pan. Spread the cheese mixture on top of that by dropping small spoonfuls onto the meat and breaking apart with your fingers to evenly spread it out. Add remaining meat mixture. Top with 1 ½ cup of mozzarella, grated parmesan, and parsley. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes. For perfectly browned cheese, turn on the broiler to 450 degrees in the final 1-2 minutes of cooking. Be sure to watch it though. Cheese can go from perfect to burned crazy fast! I always take the risk because I LOVE me some perfectly browned cheese (I am a Wisconsin girl, you know…we love our cheese.)
Looking for more dinner inspiration? Check out my cooking page by clicking below!
Tools of the Trade
Not too many tools required for our lasagna bake, but I will say, a good Pyrex casserole dish and flexible cutting boards are ALWAYS a must 🙂 Check the links below to add to your cooking collection!
Quick and Easy Lasagna Bake
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups chopped raw spinach
- 8 oz. noodles of your choice cooked and drained (I used penne)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- grated parmesan cheese
- parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, sauté onion and garlic over medium heat for 5 minutes, until just turning translucent.
- Add sausage, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano.
- Cook until meat is browned. Stir in spaghetti sauce and chopped spinach. Cook until spinach is cooked down, approximately 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in noodles. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix ricotta and 1 ½ c mozzarella together. Feel free to add more basil and oregano here as well.
- Grease a casserole dish. Pour half of the meat mixture into the pan.
- Spread the cheese mixture on top of that by dropping small spoonfuls onto the meat and breaking apart with your fingers to evenly spread it out.
- Add remaining meat mixture.
- Top with 1 ½ cup of mozzarella, grated parmesan, and parsley.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
- For perfectly browned cheese, turn on the broiler to 450 degrees in the final 1-2 minutes of cooking.
Notes
