Celebrating National Lasagne Day with Carrabba’s Italian Grill
MILWAUKEE - Delicious layers of pasta, meat and cheese…yes please! Art Conrad from Carrabba's Italian Grill helps us celebrate National Lasagne Day.
LASAGNE
Makes 9 servings
INGREDIENTS
- Olive oil for the baking sheet pan and lasagne sheets
- 1 ½ pounds sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed, or ground round beef (85% lean)
- 5 fresh lasagne sheets
- About 7 cups pomodoro sauce
- 2 cups (8 ounces) freshly grated Romano cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 pound (4 cups) shredded part-skim mozzarella
- 1 ½ pounds whole milk or part-skim ricotta cheese
- Fine chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 13-by-9-inch baking pan.
- Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking up the sausage well with the side of a spoon, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a bowl, discarding the fat in the skillet. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt to taste. Trim the lasagne sheets to fit the baking pan, if necessary. Add the lasagne sheets, one at a time, stirring gently to keep the sheets from sticking to each other. Cook just until al dente, about 2 minutes (the water does not have to return to a boil). Drain and rinse under cold running water. Separate and toss the lasagne sheets with 2 tablespoons of oil to discourage sticking.
- Set aside ½ cup of Romano cheese for the topping. Spread ¾ cup of the sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Top with 1 lasagne sheet. Sprinkle with one-quarter each of the mozzarella, Parmesan, and sausage, dot with one-quarter of the ricotta, and top with ¾ cup of pomodoro sauce. Repeat three times with 3 more sheets, the mozzarella, Parmesan, sausage, ricotta, and pomodoro sauce. Top with the final lasagne sheet, 1 cup Pomodoro sauce, and the reserved Parmesan cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Reserve the remaining pomodoro sauce. (The lasagne and sauce can be prepared, covered, and refrigerated, up to 1 day ahead.)
- Put the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until the lasagne is bubbling, about 30 minutes more. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
- To serve, reheat the remaining pomodoro sauce. Cut the lasagne into 9 portions. Transfer each to a dinner plate, top with pomodoro sauce, and sprinkle with Romano and parsley.
- Enjoy!