Lasagna (Sausage, Three Cheese and Basil)

I loved the flavour combination with the homemade sauce, Italian sausage and fresh basil. I’ve decided that I prefer using all Italian sausage versus a sausage/ground beef mixture. If you’re going to make this lasagna please don't skip making the homemade sauce. It is so simple and makes a huge difference in the flavour.

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
1 cup onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. dried crushed red pepper
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes with added purée
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion, do not drain

Filling:
1½ cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 (15 oz) container + 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1½ cups mozzarella cheese, packed, freshly grated (~ 6 oz)
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (~ 2 oz)
1 large egg
½ tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground

Assembly:
1 (8 oz) pkg (12 sheets) no-boil lasagna noodles
3 cups mozzarella cheese, freshly grated, packed (~ 12 oz)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (~ 3 oz)
nonstick olive oil spray

Make the Sauce:
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausages, onion, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper and sauté until sausage is cooked through, mashing sausage into small pieces with back of fork, about 10 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes with juices. Bring sauce to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes to blend flavours. Season with salt and pepper.

Make-Ahead Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill until cold, then cover and keep chilled.

Make the Filling:
Using on/off turns, chop fresh basil leaves finely in processor. Add ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Using on/off turns, process filling until just blended and texture is still chunky.

Assembly:
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

Spread 1¼ cups sauce in 9x13x2” glass baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles on sauce. Drop 1½ cups filling over noodles, then spread evenly to cover. Sprinkle with ¾ cup mozzarella cheese and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layering of sauce, noodles, filling and cheeses 2 more times. Top with remaining 3 noodles. Spoon remaining sauce atop noodles. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Spray large piece of foil with nonstick olive oil spray. Cover lasagna with foil, sprayed side down.

Bake lasagna 40 minutes. Carefully uncover.

Increase the oven temperature to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Bake until noodles are tender, sauce bubbles thickly and edges of lasagna are golden and puffed, about 20 minutes. Transfer to work surface; let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.