Here’s the winning recipe from the 2011 Feed the Family in a Flash Contest, from Lysa D. Sychla of Thornton. Many thanks to Mile High Mamas for hosting the contest. If you’re a mom, visit Mile High Mamas ().
Kids & Adults Favorite Lasagna
Recipe by Lysa D. Sychla, of Thornton, mother of two. She says, “Kids love this, and it is even better the second day. The best part is if we just want a small batch the recipe can be made in half and we use a loaf pan.”
Ingredients
1 pound mild Italian sausage
1/2 small white onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, diced
1 small jar pizza sauce
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 container ricotta (about 35 ounces), or part-skim ricotta
2 eggs
1 package (8 ounces) Italian cheese blend
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
A handful of fresh chopped parsley (optional)
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles (Sychla uses Barilla brand. You can also use regular noodles that you’ve pre-boiled until almost done)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On the stovetop, brown the sausage until almost done. Add the onion, pepper and garlic, and simmer for a few more minutes until the sausage is done. Add half the pizza sauce and the Parmesan; simmer until hot.
Mix ricotta, eggs, half the Italian cheese blend, Italian seasoning, and about a tablespoon of chopped parsley if you have it.
Pour a little of the sausage mixture on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Layer with noodles, ricotta mixture, meat sauce and cubed mozzarella. Repeat 3-4 times. Finish with noodles, pizza sauce and as much Italian cheese as is left or as much as you want. Bake for 15 minutes covered, then increase temperature to 450 and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until brown and bubbly.
