Tomato- Sausage Lasagna

Soaking the noodles in hot tap water (while making the sauce) eliminates the need to boil them. If you prefer, substitute lean ground beef for the sausage.

Prep: 40 minutes
Total: 2 hours 30 minutes
Serves 8

Ingredients

Serves 8
12 dried lasagna noodles (about 10 ounces), uncooked
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes in puree
Coarse salt and ground pepper
6 cups shredded shredded mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)

Directions

Fill a 9-by-13-inch baking dish two-thirds of the way with hot tap water.
Add noodles, and arrange them in alternating directions to prevent sticking. Let soak while preparing sauce.
Make sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium.
Add onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red-pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add sausage, and cook, stirring and breaking it up, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes and their puree, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon; bring to a boil.
Reduce to a rapid simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes. (You should have about 8 cups of sauce.)
Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drain noodles, transfer to a baking sheet; dry dish with paper towels.
Spoon 1 cup sauce in bottom of dish.
Fit 4 noodles in dish (crosswise if using short noodles, lengthwise if using long), overlapping slightly.
Cover with 2 cups sauce, 2 cups mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Repeat with another layer, then top with remaining noodles, 3 cups sauce, and the rest of mozzarella and Parmesan.
Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil, and bake 1 hour.
Remove foil, and continue baking until bubbly and browned, about 30 minutes.
Remove from oven; let cool 20 minutes.
Cut and serve.

Note: The lasagna can be assembled up to one day in advance. Cover with foil, and refrigerate. You may have to increase initial baking