Italian sausage lasagna is the kind of restaurant style pan that makes a big family dinner feel like an occasion. A meaty sauce made with ground beef and Italian sausage simmers slowly with a little fennel, then gets layered with seasoned ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan until the dish is tall, cheesy, and deeply savory.
This is a project recipe, so give it a relaxed afternoon. The sauce simmers for about 1 1/2 hours, the lasagna bakes for 50 minutes, and it needs a 15 minute rest before cutting. The payoff is a pan that feeds 12 people and tastes even better the next day, which makes it ideal for holidays, potlucks, and Sunday dinners.
Table of Contents
Why This Works
Two meats give the sauce more depth than beef alone. The sausage brings fat, salt, and its own seasoning, while the beef adds a clean meaty base. A small amount of fennel seed echoes the flavor of the sausage, and a touch of sugar softens the acidity of the canned tomatoes so the sauce tastes round instead of sharp.
The long simmer is what separates a good lasagna from a great one. It thickens the sauce so it clings to the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom of the pan, and it blends the herbs, tomato, and meat into one flavor. The ricotta mixture gets an egg and parsley, which keeps it creamy and lets it set into neat layers.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
- 16 oz ricotta
- 1 large egg
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 16 oz shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
Sausage is already salted, so this recipe uses less added salt than many lasagna recipes. Taste the sauce near the end of the simmer and adjust if you need to.
How to Make Italian Sausage Lasagna
1. Brown the meats
In a large pot over medium heat, cook the ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic until well browned and no pink remains. Break the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Ground beef and sausage are done at 160 degrees F. Drain off any excess fat.
2. Simmer the sauce
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Add the sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the parsley. Cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and rich.
3. Cook the noodles
While the sauce simmers, boil the noodles in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions. Drain them, rinse with cold water so they do not stick, and set them aside.
4. Mix the cheese filling
In a bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley until smooth.
5. Layer the pan
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the meat sauce in a deep 9×13 inch baking dish. Add a layer of 3 to 4 noodles, then spread on half of the ricotta mixture, a third of the mozzarella, and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Spoon on more sauce, add another layer of noodles, and repeat the cheeses. Finish with noodles, the last of the sauce, and the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
6. Bake covered, then uncovered
Cover the pan with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 25 minutes, until the top is golden and the sauce bubbles around the edges. Set a sheet pan on the rack below to catch any drips.
7. Rest and slice
Let the lasagna rest 15 minutes before cutting. The layers need that time to firm up, and the first square will come out much cleaner.
How to Serve
Serve the lasagna with something soft to soak up the sauce and something bright to cut the richness. Fresh fluffy homemade dinner rolls or honey butter dinner rolls are a good match, and roasted broccolini with tahini sauce gives a green side with a little tang. A bowl of broccoli salad with a lighter creamy dressing also balances the cheese.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Store the pan covered tightly, or cut squares and keep them in shallow containers so they cool quickly. Eat the leftovers within 3 to 4 days.
Reheat a single square in the microwave until steaming. For a larger portion, cover the dish with foil and warm it in a 350 degrees F oven until hot in the center. Reheated leftovers should reach 165 degrees F. This lasagna also freezes well in a sealed container, so wrap individual squares for easy lunches.
Tips and Variations
Safe storage and reheating make leftovers worth keeping. Purdue Extension has a clear guide to storing leftovers that covers the 2 hour rule, the 3 to 4 day window, and reheating to 165 degrees F.
Use mild sausage for a gentle flavor or hot sausage for a little heat. If you like a smoother sauce, pulse it briefly with an immersion blender before layering. You can also leave out the onion pieces for picky eaters by grating the onion into the meat. Make the sauce a day ahead, since it tastes even better after resting overnight, and assemble the lasagna the next day.
FAQ
How much sauce should I make?
This recipe makes plenty, so you may have a little left. Freeze the extra for a quick pasta dinner, or save it to spoon over the top of each serving.
Do I have to simmer the sauce for 1 1/2 hours?
A long simmer gives the best flavor and texture. If you are short on time, simmer at least an hour, stirring often, until the sauce is thick enough to mound on a spoon.
Can I use no-boil noodles?
Yes, but add a little extra sauce and cover the pan tightly so the noodles have enough moisture to soften while baking.
What size pan works best?
A deep 9×13 inch dish holds all the layers. Put a sheet pan underneath to catch drips, since this pan is quite full.
Can I make this lasagna ahead of time?
Yes. Assemble the pan, cover it, and refrigerate it for a day, then bake as directed with a few extra minutes if it goes in cold.
Restaurant Style Italian Sausage Lasagna with Fennel
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cans (28 oz each) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
- 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ tsp salt divided
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley divided
- 16 oz ricotta
- 1 large egg
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 16 oz shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
Cooking
- In a large pot over medium heat, cook the ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic until well browned and no longer pink, which is 160 degrees F. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Add the sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the parsley.
- Cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thick and rich.
- Boil the noodles in salted water according to the package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water.
- Mix the ricotta, egg, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley until smooth.
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spread about 1 1/2 cups meat sauce in a deep 9×13 inch dish. Add 3 to 4 noodles, half the ricotta mixture, a third of the mozzarella, and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Repeat with sauce and noodles, then finish with noodles, sauce, and the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
- Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 25 more minutes, until golden and bubbling. Set a sheet pan below to catch drips.
- Rest the lasagna 15 minutes before slicing.
