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You are here: Home / Recipes / This African Cooks cheesy lasagna

This African Cooks cheesy lasagna

December 8, 2017 By Erica N 2 Comments

Sitting in the hubby’s office typing, it’s so cold even with the heat on.  My house is an open floor plan, with a two-story great room, floor to ceiling windows, we get all kinds of air through the fire-place and the windows.  Needles to say I’m always cold at home during the winter.  My hubby likes it cold and I like it nice and toasty, every time I turn the heat on to 72, somehow it goes back to seventy.  He acts like he has no idea how it happened, guess he sleepwalks to the thermostat hahaha.  Today has been very cold, it was officially the first day of snow.  I’m glad I didn’t have to work today because I would have had to be a part of all the foolery of people who act like they have never seen snow before.  Some people shouldn’t live in the midwest.  Anyways I spent the day baking, cooking, decorating for christmas and hanging with Ava.  I tested a new recipe for ginger cookies, the verdict is still out.  Made some french bread and tomato basil soup for this cold weather and enjoyed some lasagna for lunch, I’m a pasta lover.   Yall this lasagna was killer.

 

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Super cheesy, meaty and saucy lasagna….there is nothing like fresh basil and tomatoes. I have been making lasagna for years and they way I make it has been changing, I’ve finally found the right balance. The way I made this is pretty much how I make ziti and mostaccioli with a few exceptions of pasta and preparation.  This recipe is not complicated.  I prefer to use ragu sauce as my base for sauce because I love all the different flavors of the brand.  I like the chunky style tomatoes, biting into chunks of tomatoes.  You can not make this lasagna if you don’t have fresh mozzarella and fresh basil, it won’t taste the way I think it should taste.  I usually to use ground beef to make my meat sauce, but I have given up red met,  I will call it poultry sauce, lol.  I used ground turkey and ground basil chicken.  You can use ground turkey and ground sweet italian turkey sausage, or ground beef in place.  I have even used a mixture of ground lamb and beef.  Now that was a combo, but I don’t miss red meat.  Whenever I make this recipe I get a lot of great feedback from friends and coworkers alike.  Lasagna is good for anytime of the day.  You should definitely try this recipe if you want to impress your friend with your skills.  Even your Italian grandma will approve haha.  Italian grandmas don’t mess around when it comes to their lasagna.

 

Try it and comment, also share with your friends.  I appreciate the support,

 

This African

Print Recipe
This African Cooks's cheesy lasagna
Cheesy, saucy lasagna that will impress you dinner guests.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American Fusion, Italian
Prep Time 35 min
Cook Time 45 min
Servings
servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 3 links ground basil chicken or sweet italian turkey sausage remove from casing
  • 2 24 oz cans Ragu garden style tomato sauce pick your favorite, I usualy use sundried tomato and sweet basil, or sauteed onion and garlic
  • 12 sheets barilla oven ready lasagna sheets
  • 2 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 20 oz fresh mozzerella thats 1 16 oz log and another 1/4
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 cup ricotta
  • 3/4 cup fresh basil chopped, or i usual tear them by hand
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp franks red hot sauce
  • 2 tsp old bay seasoning
  • 1 tsp paprika i use smoked
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • water for sauce and ricotta mixture
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American Fusion, Italian
Prep Time 35 min
Cook Time 45 min
Servings
servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 3 links ground basil chicken or sweet italian turkey sausage remove from casing
  • 2 24 oz cans Ragu garden style tomato sauce pick your favorite, I usualy use sundried tomato and sweet basil, or sauteed onion and garlic
  • 12 sheets barilla oven ready lasagna sheets
  • 2 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 20 oz fresh mozzerella thats 1 16 oz log and another 1/4
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 cup ricotta
  • 3/4 cup fresh basil chopped, or i usual tear them by hand
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp franks red hot sauce
  • 2 tsp old bay seasoning
  • 1 tsp paprika i use smoked
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • water for sauce and ricotta mixture
Instructions
  1. Gather all the ingredients.
  2. In a deep skillet heat 1 tbsp of olive oil, and brown the sausage and ground turkey about 10 min, make sure to crumble. While browning add garlic, and old bay.
  3. Next add tomato sauce, add 1/4 cup of water to each jar after pouring the sauce up. Shake them up and add to the sauce.
  4. Add paprika, pepper, sugar, hot sauce, and basil. Mix and cook 15-20 min on medium to low heat. Make sure not to burn, you can let it simmer.
  5. While the sauce is cooking add sour cream and ricotta together and add 2 tbsp of water, mix well and set aside.
  6. Cut mozzarella pieces into large bite sized pieces, and set aside .
  7. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. When everything is ready lightly oil a 9x13 inch casserole dish, spoon a small amount of sauce to the bottom of pan and spread. Reserve a 1/2 of sauce to be use during baking. Line 4 sheets of lasagna sheets on top of sauce.
  8. Add sauce on top of sheets, then spoon on some ricotta mixture, top with some fresh mozzarella and 1/2 cup of shredded. Repeat with the rest the ingredients.
  9. End with 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella on top.
  10. Bake for 25 min covered with foil, and 20 minutes without foil. Pull oven rack from oven, top with remainder of sauce in dots. Bake an additional 5 minutes. longer if you prefer. Remove from oven and let cool about 15-20 minutes before serving. It;s even better the next day :).
  11. Enjoy and comment.
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Filed Under: Dinner, Lunch, Recipe

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Comments

  1. sarai says

    May 7, 2020 at 4:44 pm

    do you not cook the pasta first?

    Reply
    • Erica N says

      May 12, 2020 at 1:43 pm

      Hi, I actually hate cooking lasagna pasta because it gets sticky. I use oven ready

      Reply

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