There is something about Friday night that screams “have fun!”. Tonight we are going to do just that… We have invited some friends over for dinner and I am preparing a hearty meat and vegetable lasagna. Lasagna is the perfect party food. It makes your guests feel relaxed and excited to sit down to a delicious, humbly extravagant meal.
My husband Ralph jokes that I have never served him the same lasagna twice. I haven’t! There are too many possible combinations and so little time…
Here’s tonight’s version
SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOM LASAGNA
10 pork sausage links, cooked, cooled and sliced into mouth size chunks
8 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and halved
2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced in rings
3 tablespoons olive oil
heat olive oil in large skillet on medium high heat
add mushrooms and fry til golden then add peppers
toss the vegetables for a couple of minutes to just begin to cook the peppers
remove from heat and set aside
2 red onions, peeled and chopped fine
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb freshly ground pork
1 lb freshly ground beef
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
28 ounce can best quality diced plum tomatoes
heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and add onion and garlic
saute for 5 minutes then start to crumble the pork and beef into the skillet
using a wooden spoon, continue breaking up the meat until it is very crumbly and fully cooked
add herbs, salt, pepper and tomatoes
bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour
fresh lasagna noodles
4 cups shredded mozzarella
using a large baking dish, spread a thin layer of meat sauce over bottom of pan
cover the sauce with a layer of fresh lasagna noodles
you can make your own or use commercial
place all of the prepared sausage on the layer of pasta then pour a little of the meat sauce over the sausage
sprinkle lightly with some mozzarella
place a layer of pasta over the sausage
pour all of the mushroom and pepper mixture over the pasta
sprinkle with a little meat sauce and mozzarella
you are using just a little mozzarella between the layers to make the lasagna sturdy
add another layer of pasta and cover this layer with remaining meat sauce
sprinkle top with remaining cheese
bake in a preheat oven for 45 minutes or until top is golden and sauce is bubbling
this recipe will feed 8 people happily!
When mine is done cooking I’ll post the picture…
Thanks for reading
