Italian Sausage Lasagna

Making lasagna from scratch might seem like a big job, but it’s easier than it seems thanks to a few shortcuts. This Italian sausage lasagna recipe uses no-bake noodles, which can go directly into your casserole dish without boiling or draining.

Canned tomatoes and Italian sausage are our tricks for making a rich, robust sauce that tastes as if it’s been simmering for hours. Whether you prefer sweet or spicy sausage, the savory mix of herbs and spices in Italian sausage delivers big flavor for little effort. We layer the noodles and sauce with plenty of creamy ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Once you taste this classic lasagna with sausage recipe, you’ll never go back to frozen lasagna!

Ingredients for Italian Sausage Lasagna

• Bulk Italian sausage: Italian sausage is seasoned with traditional Italian spices and herbs, like basil, oregano, garlic and fennel seeds. Available in mild, sweet and hot varieties, you can choose one or mix them to adjust the spice level in your lasagna. Bulk sausage refers to ground sausage not shaped into links or patties; it’s packaged similarly to ground beef or rolled in tubes.
• Aromatics: Chopped onion and minced garlic add depth of flavor to the sauce and help balance the acidity of the tomatoes. We recommend a sweet or yellow onion and fresh garlic cloves.
• Canned tomatoes: Crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste simmer with the Italian sausage, onion and garlic to create a rich sauce. In a pinch, you can swap in your favorite store-bought pasta sauce.
• Seasoning: Since Italian sausage is already packed with flavorful herbs and spices, you don’t need to add much other than a touch of dried basil, salt and pepper to enhance the sauce.
• Ricotta cheese filling: Creamy ricotta is mixed with a beaten egg to create a smooth filling that sets beautifully. Once baked, the cheese filling holds its shape and won’t spill out when you cut the lasagna.
• No-cook noodles: Also called oven-ready noodles, these lasagna sheets are a timesaver and make lasagna prep a breeze. They’re precooked and dried, so they soften as they bake—no pot of boiling water is required.
• Cheese: Shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan are the ultimate cheesy duo, bringing melty, creamy texture and salty flavor to each bite of lasagna. For the best texture, grate blocks of cheese by hand. Don’t forget to save your Parmesan rinds to add to soup!

Directions

Step 1: Cook the sausage

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Crumble the sausage into a large skillet. Add the chopped onion and cook over medium heat for five to seven minutes, until the sausage is browned and no pink remains. Drain grease from the skillet.

Editor’s Tip: Don’t put the grease down your kitchen sink. Use a grease draining tool, spoon or small ladle to transfer the grease from the skillet to a paper towel-lined plate or an empty can, and then dispose of it.

Step 2: Prepare the sauce

Taste Recipes

Stir the minced garlic and tomato paste into the skillet with the sausage and onion. Cook for one minute.

Taste Recipes

Then, stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and salt. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: If your sauce tastes too tangy after simmering, add 1 teaspoon of sugar to balance the acid in the tomatoes.

Step 3: Mix the ricotta layer

Taste Recipes

Combine the egg, ricotta cheese, 1-1/4 cups Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Mix until well blended.

Step 4: Layer the lasagna

Taste Recipes

Grease a 13×9-inch baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Spread 1-1/2 cups meat sauce into the bottom of the dish. Top with four lasagna noodles, followed by 1-1/2 cups each of the ricotta mixture, shredded mozzarella and meat sauce. Repeat the layers once. Top with the remaining noodles, sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Editor’s Tip: If you’re assembling the lasagna ahead of time, cover it tightly with foil and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake.

Step 5: Bake the lasagna

Cover the baking dish with greased foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and continue baking until lightly browned and bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Taste Recipes

Italian Sausage Lasagna Variations

• Make it lighter: Brown turkey or chicken sausage instead of pork for a lighter meat sauce with less fat.
• Use a mix of meats: For an extra-meaty lasagna, use ground beef and Italian sausage. If you’re using 1 pound of each, divide the meat mixture after browning and store half in the fridge or freezer to use the next time you make meaty spaghetti sauce.
• Try a spicy lasagna: Give the sauce extra kick with hot Italian sausage and crushed red pepper flakes.
• Prep a sausage and veggie lasagna: Give your lasagna a boost of veggies with spinach, mushrooms, zucchini or bell peppers. These veggies give off water, so we recommend cooking them before adding them to lasagna. Simmer chopped veggies in the sauce, fold well-drained frozen spinach into the ricotta, or saute veggies separately in a bit of olive oil and then spread them over the cheese or sauce.
• Bake a smaller lasagna: You can easily convert this recipe from a 9×13-inch baking dish to an 8×8-inch lasagna by dividing the ingredients in half. Or, split the full recipe between two 8×8-inch dishes and freeze one for later or share with a friend.

How to Store Italian Sausage Lasagna

Let the lasagna cool, then cover tightly and store the dish in the fridge for up to five days. You can also store lasagna slices in an airtight container.

Can you freeze Italian sausage lasagna?

You can freeze a whole lasagna or individual slices for up to three months. If you want to freeze an entire pan of lasagna, bake it in a freezer-safe container or a foil baking dish. Once cooled, wrap the pan with storage wrap and cover the top with foil. Wrap individual slices in foil and store them in a freezer-safe storage bag or container. Before reheating, thaw the frozen lasagna overnight in the fridge.

Can you make Italian sausage lasagna ahead of time?

You can make just the meat sauce or assemble the whole lasagna beforehand. Refrigerate the meat sauce in an airtight container (glass won’t stain like plastic) one or two days in advance or freeze the meat sauce for up to three months. The whole pan of unbaked lasagna can be covered and stored for two or three days. Or, you can bake the lasagna and store it whole for heat-and-eat meals all week.

How do you reheat Italian sausage lasagna?

We recommend reheating lasagna in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 and cover the lasagna with foil. Bake for about 30 minutes until the center is warm. The microwave is the fastest way to reheat individual pieces of lasagna, but nuking can overcook the noodles and make the dish a little soggy.

Italian Sausage Lasagna Tips

Taste Recipes

Can you use sausage links in lasagna?

Yes, you can use Italian sausage links instead of bulk sausage. We recommend removing the casings and crumbling the sausage into the skillet to make the meat easier to incorporate with the sauce. For bigger sausage bites, you could slice links into rounds and pan-fry them before making the sauce.

How do you make a spicy Italian sausage lasagna?

To make a spicy lasagna with sausage recipe, start with hot Italian sausage instead of mild and add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce.

What goes with Italian sausage lasagna?

This meaty lasagna features heavy textures and rich flavors that are best paired with light and fresh sides. Try garlicky sauteed spinach or a classic Caesar or Caprese salad. A basket of crusty Italian bread, garlic bread or breadsticks is also excellent for scooping up every last bit of sauce and cheese.