Italian Sausage Lasagna

Why You’ll Want To Make My Sausage Lasagna

• The sausage is already well-seasoned, which brings a lot more flavor to the lasagna.
• Pepper jack in the ricotta mixture spreads heat evenly through every layer.
• Oven-ready noodles make assembly quicker since there’s no separate pot of noodles to boil.
• Straining the sausage well after cooking keeps the layers from turning watery, so every slice holds together.

What You Need

• Marinara sauce – use your favorite jarred sauce, or my Homemade Marinara Sauce for the best flavor.
• Italian sausage – I use spicy, but sweet Italian sausage works too if you want less heat. Either way, buy it in bulk (not links) so it’s ready to crumble straight into the pan.
• Oven-ready lasagna noodles – these skip the boiling step since they cook right in the oven with the sauce.
• Ricotta cheese – whole milk ricotta gives the creamiest filling. Low-fat ricotta works but can turn out slightly wetter.
• Pepper jack cheese – adds a mild, cheesy heat that pairs well with the spicy sausage. Swap in mozzarella if you’d rather keep it milder.

How to Make Italian Sausage Lasagna

• Sauté the vegetables – Heat oil in a large pan and cook the sliced onion and green pepper until they start to soften.
• Cook the sausage – Add the sausage to the pan, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked through to 160°F. Strain off the excess grease and juices.
• Make the ricotta mixture – Combine ricotta, pepper jack, egg, parsley, salt, cayenne, and pressed garlic in a bowl and mix well.
• Layer the lasagna – Spread a thin layer of marinara in the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan. Add a layer of noodles, then the sausage mixture and a little more sauce. Add another layer of noodles, spread the ricotta mixture over evenly, and top with more sauce. Add a final layer of noodles and sauce.
• Top and bake – Spread the Italian cheese blend evenly over the top. Cover with foil (sprayed on the side facing the cheese so it doesn’t stick) and bake at 425°F for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes.
• Rest before slicing – Let the lasagna sit for about 10 minutes before cutting so the layers hold together.

How to Store and Reheat

• Store: Keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
• Reheat in the oven: Cover with foil and warm at 350°F until heated through, about 20 minutes for a full pan or less for individual slices.
• Reheat in the microwave: Heat individual portions in 40-second to 1-minute intervals until hot.

Ways to Serve Italian Sausage Lasagna

• Bread: homemade parmesan garlic & herb breadsticks
• Salad: homemade Caesar salad or classic caprese calad
• Vegetable: Italian roasted asparagus or bacon onion green beans

More Recipes From Me

• Sausage Peppers and Onions Tortellini
• Sausage & Onion Stuffed Peppers
• The Best Lasagna
• Tomato Basil Sausage Pasta Skillet
• Four Cheese Chicken and Sausage Tortellini Casserole

Italian Sausage Lasagna Recipe

Swapping ground beef for Italian sausage is the easiest way to add more flavor to a classic lasagna without extra steps. The sausage brings its own seasoning to the dish, so I only need a handful of extra ingredients: sautéed onions and peppers, a mix of ricotta and pepper jack, and a dash of cayenne for a little kick. This is the lasagna I make when I want a little something different and so comforting.

3.72 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 9

Calories: 775kcal

Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 lb ground spicy Italian Sausage
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion sliced
• ▢ 1 large green pepper sliced
• ▢ 12 oz oven-ready lasagna noodles
• ▢ 1 1/2 lb marinara sauce
• ▢ 15 oz ricotta cheese
• ▢ 8 oz shredded pepper jack cheese
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves
• ▢ 2 Tbsp minced Italian parsley
• ▢ Salt
• ▢ Dash of cayenne pepper
• ▢ 8 oz shredded Italian cheese mix

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425℉ and lightly grease a 9×13 casserole pan.
• Heat up some vegetable oil in a large cooking pan. Add onions and peppers to the pan and cook until starts to soften.
• Add ground sausage, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until sausage is done. Strain the sausage juice.
• In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, shredded pepper jack cheese, egg, parsley, salt, cayenne and pressed garlic. Mix very well.
• Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce over the bottom of the casserole pan. Layer lasagna noodles side by side. (You may have to break one to fit along the side.)
• Spread cooked (and strained) sausage with onion and pepper over the noodles. Spread a little more sauce over the top.
• Layer more lasagna noodles over the top, side by side. Spread ricotta mixture over the top, evenly. Spread another thin layer of sauce over ricotta mixture. Layer more lasagna noodles over the top and spread another layer of sauce over it.
• Spread Italian cheese mix over the top, evenly.
• Spray one side of the aluminum foil with cooking spray, the side that will be touching the cheese. This will prevent cheese from sticking to the foil.
• Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Take off the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 775kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 53g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 1342mg | Potassium: 696mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 882IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 374mg | Iron: 2mg

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