Worth the Wait Lasagna

SERVES: 6

COOK TIME: 1 Hr 20 Min

Homemade Italian-style lasagna takes a little extra effort, but one taste of our Worth the Wait Lasagna will prove that this one is definitely a main dish pasta bake worth waiting for.

What You'll Need

12 lasagna noodles
1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 (28-ounce) jars spaghetti sauce

What to Do

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage until no pink remains, stirring to break up sausage as it cooks. Drain off excess liquid and set aside in a large bowl to cool slightly. Add 3 cups mozzarella cheese, the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses, the egg, basil, and pepper; mix well.
Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce evenly over bottom of baking dish. Place 3 noodles over sauce. Spread one-third of sausage mixture over noodles. Pour 1 cup spaghetti sauce over sausage mixture. Place 3 more noodles over the top and press down lightly. Repeat with 2 more layers of sausage mixture, sauce, and noodles. Spoon remaining sauce over top and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake 1 hour. Remove foil and sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over top; return to oven 5 more minutes, or until cheese has melted. Allow to sit 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Tip

Top this with some fresh basil before serving for an extra burst of fresh flavor.
If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out our collection of 19 Easy Lasagna Recipes.

Nutritional InformationShow More

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
Calories 852
Calories from Fat 360
Total Fat 40g 61 %
Saturated Fat 22g 109 %
Trans Fat 0.0g 0 %
Protein 50g 100 %

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value *
Cholesterol 162mg 54 %
Sodium 2,461mg 103 %
Total Carbohydrates 72g 24 %
Dietary Fiber 2.1g 8 %
Sugars 15g 0 %

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achumley0003 31706 34

Oct 31, 2017

This lasagna looks so good and based on the ingredients, I bet it is. I love Italian food and lasagna is definitely one of my favorites, but it usually takes some effort , so I don't make it often. But, this recipe definitely seems worth the trouble. Thanks for sharing.

jpdmom27 9004034

Apr 14, 2015

I don't usually use jarred sauce or sausage in lasagna but I tried this recipe and it was really outstanding. My family loved it and I will definitely make it again. A nice variation and very easy recipe. Tastes even better the next day!

leediablo 7771294

Feb 12, 2015

Tinker, Don't quit your day job!

Phyllis 100

Feb 07, 2015

This recipe was delicious. I made it according to the directions.

tinker2232

Oct 15, 2014

This is basically OK, but was more WOW when I did the following: Added half again the required amount of Ricotta and drained it well; Used 3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese instead of 4 because rather than top it off with shredded mozzarella, I used 6 slices of mozzarella on top which really melted nicely (the shredded doesn't melt into a nice smooth cheesy top; To the jars of spaghetti sauce, I mixed in about 3 tsp. Italian seasoning, 2 tsp. Oregano and 2 tsp. Basil leaves; After cooking the sausage, let it cool and soak up grease by massaging the sausage with paper towels; Instead of cooking it right away, I made it a day ahead of time and let the spices marinate with the sauce. RESULT: Lots of praise from my cheese and meat lovers!! The extra ricotta and the mozzarella slices on top made it soooo much better!

Kojak

Jan 25, 2015

You are ridiculous!!! You are supposed to be rating THIS recipe, as written!!! NOT making up your own recipe and then rating that!!!! YOU are NOT the star of the show here...... Mr. Food Test Kitchen is! It is their recipe!!!!

Phyllis 100

Feb 07, 2015

I have to agree with the other comment even though I mistakenly pressed unlike. Judge a recipe for the recipe. We all use different tomato sauce, meat, spices, cheeses.

Whitesweb4 2320099

Apr 09, 2014

Can this be a make ahead dish ? And at what point do I leave Ingreidents off to refrigerate ? Then cooking time and temp change ?

jim3decker 1050734

Nov 11, 2013

Can you use cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese?

Test Kitchen Team

Nov 12, 2013

You can substitute cottage cheese for ricotta, the mixture will just be a little chunky.

Evbear1 6320306

Dec 29, 2012

There are so many spaghetti sauces you can buy....I would think the recipe would give a few choices for the sauce that works best to create a five star dish....can you suggest a few? Thank you..

Vodika

Dec 29, 2012

The best one to use is the one you use the most, if I am not using one I make home made, I like to use the Hy Vee Store brand and fix it up with meat, bell peppers, onions, garlic.

gatorgrowl

Aug 25, 2012

Question: Do we have to cook noodles? With the sauce and ricotta cheese it seems not cooking the noodles would help with the mushiness.

frannyde

Dec 29, 2012

NO... you don't ever have to cook the noodles! If you use enough sauce, you are good to go! AND ......... basil, parsley..... whatever you like!

chito45bb 3621073

Jul 10, 2012

Can I use fresh basil, will the recipe change its flavor, and how much should I use?

Test Kitchen Team

Jul 11, 2012

Go ahead and use those fresh herbs! The rule of thumb for substituting fresh herbs for dried is for every 1 dried, use 3 fresh. In this recipe, we use 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, so you would want to use 1-1/2 teaspoons fresh basil. Thank you for your question and enjoy!

Raven Digital

Mar 05, 2012

Can you substitute the hot sausage with sweet Italian sausage instead without ruining the recipe? I don't like spicy foods, unfortunately.

frannyde

Dec 29, 2012

OMG.... where are you people from? Cooking is whatever you like in a recipe. If you can't handle heat, use mild .... use ground turkey or chicken, use what you like!!

Kojak

Jan 25, 2015

HAHAHA! Franny...... I totally get you!!! Some of these people act like they need instructions to boil water! LOL! Hey if you prefer sausage over beef, USE IT, and by all means... use WHATEVER kind of sauce YOU like!! OMG!!!!!!! I have never seen so many dumb questions!!! LOL!

jalexis3 2404243

Jun 02, 2015

Lighten up a little. Not everyone is an experienced cook, but wanting to learn. With no home economic classes in school now days, cooking for young people can be a real challenge and even for older gals like me that did not start cooking until later in life. Hang in there Raven and don't let nasty replies discourage you!!!!!

johnciu 8975116

Jan 07, 2012

when do you add the sausage

Test Kitchen Team

Jan 09, 2012

Hi johnciu 8975116! Thank you for your question! After you let the cooked sausage cool slightly, you are going to add the cheeses and several other ingredients to the sausage (as you will see in step 2). From this point on, it is referred to as the cheese mixture. Thank you again and happy cooking!

phyar57 5077984

Dec 13, 2011

I would like to try this recipe for christmas, my question is ....do you slice grind or chop the saussage first?

ROBMARU8 3981787

Dec 19, 2011

You need to remove the sausage, either hot or sweet from it's cassings before you attempt to cook it. Then you brown it in the pan as the recipe instructs. If you only have sweet sausage available, you can always add Italian Hot Red Pepper Flakes. Be careful as you don't want it too hot or too spicy. Thank you! Bon Appetite

Mommy that Cooks

Dec 30, 2011

Bulk sausage as the recipe calls for is not in casing but looks more like ground beef. All you have to do is brown it off and it will crumble.

Mommy that Cooks

Dec 13, 2011

I can't wait to try it for Christmas...I have the whole gang coming over and by reading the comments I can't go wrong. Thanks to you and your great Test Kitchen Thank

grapevinealerts 76 60744

Jun 09, 2011

Being Italian I can say this is an authentic recipe. I recommend draining the ricotta in a colander first to remove the excess liquid. This prevents the lasagna to set better and not become soupy. I usually make my own sauce but I have substituted some good jarred sauces. I like this site because the recipes are usually authentic. Thanks Mr. Food!

lanyb703 1291798

Dec 20, 2011

Thank you for this tip. I've always wondered why my lasagne would get runny.

sselby62 2194512

Apr 18, 2011

Mr. Food u are good. Steve Huntington Beach Ca.

SuzanneWhitlock 73 00919

Apr 13, 2011

I made this for my boyfriend this past weekend, and he can not stop talking about how wonderful it is. He is telling everyone what a great cook I am! Thanks for making me look good!

rchkrysti 5360187

Mar 30, 2011

this is great. i've had lasagna in the past.

jenniferagordon 59 65803

Mar 06, 2011

I have never had lasagna as good as this one. This was the first time that I've ever made lasagna and was so impressed I'm making it again very soon. It even beats my mother-in-law's recipe and she is a fabulous cook! :)

joerus611 7072190

Feb 02, 2011

If it's as good as it looks in this picture,I can't wait to try it

varocketts 9212636

Feb 02, 2011

What are the nutritional values for this recipe? It looks great. Thanks Stan Rockett

Lisa Morelli

Jan 31, 2011

This was my first time making a sausage based lasagna and it turned out very good. Just the right amounts of cheese, sauce, meat and noodles. Will definately make again.