Classic Lasagna

• servings: 8 servings
• total time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 medium carrots, roughly chopped

1 stalk celery, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1½ pounds Italian sausage (bulk or removed from casing)

¾ cup red wine substitute: pomegranate juice, or water and red wine vinegar in a 1:1 ratio

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

½ cup heavy cream

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

1½ teaspoons dried thyme

2 bay leaves

20 oz chopped frozen spinach (thawed, drained, and dried)

1 (15 oz.) container whole milk ricotta or cottage cheese

3 oz. cream cheese

1 large egg

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup roughly chopped fresh basil

12 oven ready (no boil) lasagna noodles (such as Barilla)

16 ounces shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions

Place the onions, garlic, carrot and celery in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse until finely minced but not puréed.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage into the pan and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the sausage into small pieces, until slightly browned but not cooked all the way through, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the partially cooked sausage to a plate. Set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and add the minced vegetables. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary.

Add the wine substitute; continue cooking, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is mostly absorbed by the vegetables, a few minutes.

Add the tomatoes, cream, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, transfer the sausage to a cutting board and chop into smaller pieces (big chunks don't work well in lasagna).

Add the sausage back to the pan and continue simmering, covered, until the sausage is fully cooked and the flavors meld together, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Fish out the bay leaves and discard.

Combine the ricotta, cream cheese, egg, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until evenly combined. Add the basil and spinach and pulse until finely chopped.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Spread about 1½ cups of sauce in the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Arrange 3 noodles over the sauce (there will be a bit of space between the noodles; they expand as they cook). Dollop a third of the ricotta filling over the noodles, then spread evenly to cover. Sprinkle with ¾ cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layering of sauce, noodles, ricotta filling and mozzarella 2 more times. Top with the remaining 3 noodles. Spoon the remaining sauce over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick cooking spray. Cover the lasagna tightly with the foil, sprayed side down. Bake for 40 minutes. Carefully uncover and increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Bake, uncovered, until the noodles are tender, the sauce is bubbling, and the edges are golden and puffed, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.

Make-Ahead Instructions: The lasagna can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead of time before baking. Allow a few extra minutes in the oven if baking from cold.

Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The lasagna can be frozen for up to 3 months. If you choose to freeze it before baking, ensure it is thoroughly defrosted in the refrigerator for 24 hours before you follow the recipe's baking instructions. For already baked lasagna, place any leftovers in a freezer-safe container, or cut it into individual servings. Each serving should be tightly wrapped first in plastic wrap and then in foil. To reheat, cover the lasagna with foil and warm it in an oven preheated to 325°F until it is heated

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 slice
• Calories: 776
• Total Fat: 45g
• Saturated Fat: 23g
• Cholesterol: 158mg
• Sodium: 1812mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 47g
• Dietary Fiber: 4g
• Total Sugars: 9g
• Protein: 46g