Our momma always said she would give us her beloved secret red sauce, but we had no idea this was how she was going to do it! When she handed us over her recipe card that was titled “Mom’s Secret-Sauce Lasagna,” we got so excited! We love her way of bringing the tender noodles and creamy ricotta filling together with her neighborhood-famous rich and garlicy sauce, smothered all over the melty cheese. It combines two of our favorite things she makes, and we couldn’t be happier now that we know how to make them both! So, join in on the family tradition and make our Mom’s Secret-Sauce Lasagna!
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes in purée
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 1/4 teaspoons sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
- 4 Italian sausage links
- 1 (16-ounce) carton whole milk ricotta cheese
- 8 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 12 sheets no-cook lasagna noodles
- 21 slices provolone cheese
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Directions
Step 1 –In a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the onion and the oil and cook until it is tender, about 4-5 minutes.
Step 2 –Add the garlic to the onion and cook until it is fragrant, about 1 minutes.
Step 3 –Stir the tomato paste into the onion mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until it is fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 4 –Add the crushed tomatoes, the water, the basil, 2 teaspoons of the sugar, and the salt to the onion mixture and bring to a boil.
Step 5 –Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.
Step 6 –While the sauce is simmering, in a skillet over medium heat, cook the bulk sausage, while breaking it into crumbles, until it is no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes. Drain the excess grease.
Step 7 –Add the sauce to the sausage and simmer until it thickens, about 1 hour.
Step 8 –While the sauce simmers, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 9 –Grease a 13×9-inch baking dish.
Step 10 –Place the sausage links on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until they are cooked through, about 35-40 minutes.
Step 11 –Let the sausage links cool slightly and then slice them into 1/4-inch-thick pieces.
Step 12 –In a small bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, the egg, the basil, and the remaining sugar.
Step 13 –Spread 2 cups of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Step 14 –Arrange 4 of the noodles over the sauce and spread with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture.
Step 15 –Add 7 of the provolone slices, 1/3 of the sliced sausages, and 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella cheese.
Step 16 –Repeat the layers two more times, starting with the sauce, only using 1 cup, and ending with the mozzarella cheese.
Step 17 –Spread 2 cups of the sauce, the remaining mozzarella cheese, and the parmesan cheese over the top of the lasagna mixture.
Step 18 –Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, uncovered, until the lasagna is bubbly and deeply golden-brown, about 1 hour-1 hour 5 minutes.
Step 19 –Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes.
Step 20 –Slice and serve the lasagna with the remaining sauce.
