Paula Deen Messy Lasagna

Paula Deen Messy Lasagna is loaded with hot turkey sausage, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan, layered over noodles in a red wine pasta sauce. It feeds 6 and takes about two hours from start to table. For Sunday dinner or a potluck, this is Southern comfort food in a casserole dish.

The sauce needs a full 30 minutes of simmering. That time lets the red wine cook down and the sausage flavor soak into the pasta sauce. Skip it and you get watery layers that slide apart on the plate. Paula also calls for boiling the noodles just short of done, so they finish in the oven without turning to mush.

You can build the whole lasagna the night before and refrigerate it covered. Add 10 to 15 minutes of bake time if it goes straight from the fridge to the oven. Let it rest 10 minutes after baking so the layers set and every slice holds together.

Paula Deen Messy Lasagna

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DinnerCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Medium

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

20

minutes

Calories

530

kcal

A rich, meaty lasagna made with hot turkey sausage simmered in red wine pasta sauce, layered with a ricotta and egg mixture, then baked under a thick blanket of mozzarella and Parmesan until golden and bubbly.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  

• 2 (20 oz) packages hot turkey sausage,casings removed
  

• 1 cup diced onion
  

• 2 cloves minced garlic
  

• 2 (25.5 oz) cans pasta sauce
  

• 1/4 cup red wine
  

• 2 teaspoons dried basil
  

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  

• 1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
  

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  

• 1 beaten egg
  

• 1 (16 oz) package lasagna noodles
  

• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  

• 1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 375 °F.
• Brown the sausage: Heat olive oil in large saucepan. Add onion, garlic and sausage, cooking over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink; drain.
• Simmer the sauce: Add sauce, red wine, basil and red pepper flakes to meat mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
• Boil the noodles: In a large saucepan, boil lasagna noodles, leaving them slightly firm. Drain, set aside
• Mix the ricotta: In medium bowl, combine ricotta, salt, parsley and egg.
• Layer the lasagna: Spread a small amount of sauce into bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch casserole dish. Place 3 lasagna noodles lengthwise on top of sauce, slightly overlapping and keeping flush to one end of the dish. Place one additional noodle width-wise and flush to opposite end to fully cover the bottom of the dish. Spread 1/3 of the remaining sauce over noodles, top with 1/3 ricotta mixture and 1/3 mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Cover with foil.
• Bake and rest: Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Tools for this recipe

• Pyrex 9x13 glass baking dish, Lodge 6-quart enameled Dutch oven, OXO 5-quart stainless steel colander, Parmigiano Reggiano wedges, aged 24 months. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use pork Italian sausage instead of turkey sausage?

Yes, but the dish will be heavier and greasier. Turkey sausage keeps the layers lighter and lets the red wine sauce come through. If you switch to pork, drain it extra well and expect a richer, fattier result.

How long does this lasagna keep in the fridge?

Covered tightly, it stays good for 3 to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or warm the whole dish at 350°F covered with foil for about 20 minutes. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.

Can I assemble this lasagna the night before?

Yes, and it actually holds together better that way. Build it, cover it tightly with foil, and refrigerate overnight. Add about 10 to 15 extra minutes to the covered bake time since it starts cold.

Why does my lasagna come out watery?

Two reasons. The sauce was not simmered long enough, so it still has too much liquid. Or the noodles were cooked all the way through instead of leaving them slightly firm. Overcooked noodles release starch and water as they bake.

Why does the recipe use one noodle placed width-wise in each layer?

A standard 13 by 9 dish is wider than three noodles laid lengthwise can cover. The extra noodle fills that gap so every bite has a noodle base. Without it, the sauce and cheese sink to the bottom at one end.