Shhhh..... No one will ever know that this took less than 30 minutes to prep.
I was quickly moved to create my Shortcut Lasagna coming off an extended and passionate conversation I had with a friend and a few random strangers (in a women's dress shop) about "lasagna". All were of the ilk that they never make lasagna because it is so time consuming.
Not at all the case here with my flavor-filled streamlined lasagna that sings "authentic".
Shortcut Lasagna leans in on prepared grocery staples like jarred marinara, prepared pesto, no-boil lasagna noodles and shredded and fresh mozzarella. The only cooking that happens is the sautéing of the sausage making prep and assembly that all easily prepped in under 30 minutes -- making it an option for any day of the week -- and likely one that will leave you with enough leftovers for a 2nd round of indulgence.
I used Newman's Own Sockarooni in my preparation. This is one of my "go-to" sauces. The sauce features diced up red and green bell peppers with a hint of red pepper complimenting the mild Italian sausage. I also like Newman's Own because I used to work there and continue to be a huge fan of this good company and it's founder that donates all proceeds back to charity.
While I intend to add a "full-blown" all-from-scratch lasagna recipe to The Savory Tart, for this time being this might as well be called Presto Lasagna a la Authentico! Which translates to something along the line of "Speedy Lasagna darn near close to Authentic".
Ingredients
I love that most of these ingredients can make their way into your pantry or fridge for when the time is right for Shortcut Lasagna! If you've not used oven-ready no-boil lasagna noodles, they are a game changer. Simply layer them like you might with cooked noodles and the moisture from the lasagna softens then as the lasagna bakes. Here I've used Barilla Oven-Ready Lasagna
- olive oil
- bulk mild Italian sausage
- prepared marinara pasta sauce, such as Newman’s Own or Rao’s*
- tomato paste
- full-bodied red wine (optional0
- ricotta cheese
- grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- large eggs
- prepared basil pesto
- salt
- oven-ready, no-boil lasagna noodles
- grated mozzarella
- fresh sliced mozzarella
See recipe card for quantities.
Jump to RecipeInstructions
In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Crumble sausage into the pan, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon.
Cook until browned and crumbled. Drain fat from pan.
Add marinara pasta sauce and tomato paste to the pan with the sausage.
(Optional Step) Add wine and increase heat to medium high and simmer until wine is reduced and sauce has reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Reserve.
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the eggs, and basil pesto.
Mix to combine and season with salt.
Preheat oven to 350°F
Assembly
In the bottom of a 9” x 13” baking dish, spread a few ladles of the sausage pasta sauce mixture.
Top with 3 lasagna noodles.
Spread ⅓ of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles.
Top with one cup of the sausage marinara,
Sprinkle with ¾ cup shredded mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
Repeat two more times: Lasagna noodles, ⅓ ricotta mixture, ¼ sausage marinara, ¾ cup shredded mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan.
End with a layer of lasagna noodles covered with remaining pasta sauce.
Top with remaining cup of shredded mozzarella and top with slices of fresh mozzarella. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over the top.
Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil. Place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes longer.
Allow to rest before serving.
Hint: Depending on the depth of your baking dish, place it on a baking sheet in your oven to avoid any chance of "overflow" while baking
Substitutions
- Marinara Sauce - pretty much any jarred brand will work here. If you choose to make your own sauce, you will need about 4-½ cups prepared.
- Mild Italian Sausage -- this works equally well with any pork based Italian sausage, as well as seasoned turkey or chicken sausage.
- Fresh Mozzarella - while this is a nice touch, you can replace it with an additional 1 cup of regular shredded mozzarella
- Ricotta Cheese - substitute with cottage cheese at a 1:1 ratio. This is a lower calorie option -- that also packs a bit of protein!
- Prepared Pesto - this adds great flavor to the dish, but can be replaced with ½ cup minced fresh basil
- Oven-ready, No-boil Lasagna Noodles - Replace with prepared traditional lasagna noodles. These will need to be arranged close together when layering.
Variations
- Rich - Replace 4 oz. of the ricotta with 4 oz. mascarpone cheese
- Mushroom and Truffle - Add 8 oz. diced mushrooms when sautéing the sausage. Add a drizzle of truffle oil to the ricotta mixture. And shave some fresh truffles on top of the lasagna when it comes out of the oven. Sprinkle with minced chives
- Vegetarian (Mushroom and Pepper) - Instead of sausage, replace with mushrooms and peppers. Saute 8 oz. diced mushrooms and ½ cup diced green bell pepper in olive oil. Add ½ cup diced roasted red pepper to the mixture before adding the prepared marinara.
- Make it Spicy - Use prepared Arrabbiata or Diavolo Sauce and Spicy Italian Sausage. Boom!
See this spicy version of this recipe on my website! (placeholder for in-content link)
Equipment
- large saute pan
- medium bowl
- 13" x 9" baking dish or casserole
Storage
Store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
To store in the freezer, wrap it well. I used plastic wrap follow by aluminum foil. And then even place it in a zippered bag. It will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, and reheat in the oven covered at 250°F for 30 minutes or until heated through.
🍽️ Recipe
Shortcut Lasagna
Equipment
- large saute pan
- medium bowl
- 9" x 13" baking dish or casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
- 36 ounces prepared marinara pasta sauce such as Newman’s Own or Rao’s*
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup full-bodied red wine (optional0
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese divided
- 2 eggs whisked
- ⅓ cup prepared basil pesto
- salt
- 9 ounces oven-ready no-boil lasagna noodles
- 12 ounces grated mozzarella
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella sliced in 9 slices
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Crumble sausage into the pan, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook until browned and crumbled. Drain fat from pan.
- Add marinara pasta sauce and tomato paste to the pan with the sausage. Add wine (if using) and increase heat to medium high and simmer until wine is reduced and sauce has reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Reserve.
- In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, the eggs, and basil pesto. Mix to combine and season with salt.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oat a 9" x 13" baking dish with oil or butter
- Spread a few ladles of the sausage pasta sauce mixture over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread ⅓ of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles. Top with one cup of the sausage marinara, sprinkle with ¾ cup shredded mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese.
- Repeat two more times.**
- End with a layer of lasagna noodles covered with remaining pasta sauce. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella and top with slices of fresh mozzarella. Sprinkle remaining Parmesan over the top.
- Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil. Place in the oven on a baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes longer.
- Allow to rest before serving.
Notes
- ½ cup marinara
- lasagna noodles
- ⅓ ricotta mixture
- 1 cup marinara
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- lasagna noodles
- ⅓ ricotta mix
- 1 cup marinara
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- lasagna noodles
- ⅓ ricotta mix
- 1 cup marinara
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- lasagna noodles
- 1 cup marinara
- Remaining shredded mozzarella
- 9 slices fresh mozzarella
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
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