Savory sauce and pasta meet the smoky goodness of authentic Central Texas BBQ in this must-devour dinner! With a fresh-from-scratch sauce featuring our Original Beef Sausage and layers upon layers of cheese, this lasagna makes for a classic family favorite. It’s versatile, too! Prepare now and save it for dinner as far as two nights out. Or freeze today, and bake it whenever you’re feeling the urge for a home cooked Italian feast!
Servings:
1-2 Pans of Lasagna, depending on pan size
Time Needed:
Prep: 30-45 Minutes
Cooking time: 45 Minutes – 1 Hour at 350F
Ingredients:
- 1 package Original Beef Sausage (fully smoked), casing removed
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes
- 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
- 2 Tbsps. dried basil, divided
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 cups cottage cheese
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan Cheese (green can)
- 1 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
- 1 package (16 oz.) shredded mozzarella Cheese
- 1 package (10 oz.) lasagna noodles
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F or if using a BBQ grill, heat to 350F with an indirect setup using post oak wood.
Heat ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the ground beef is starting to brown, add crumbled sausage and continue to cook until the sausage is also browned. Drain the fat from the skillet and add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, 1 tablespoon basil and salt. Mix and allow the sauce to simmer on med-low for 30-45 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, in a large bowl, mix cottage cheese, eggs, ½ the shredded mozzarella, a half cup of grated parmesan and the remaining basil. Mix well and set aside.
Lasagna Assembly:
In your pan, spoon 1 small scoop of sauce into the pan first, then layer with the uncooked noodles.
Spoon cottage cheese mixture over noodles, layer with sliced mozzarella and top with sauce
Repeat layers as needed and as you get to the top of the pan, finish with a layer of noodles topped with sauce. Then sprinkle remaining shredded mozzarella on top.
After assembly is complete, you can either wrap in foil and freeze, bake immediately or refrigerate for up to two days. If cooking immediately, bake in a 350F oven (or grill on the indirect side) for 30-45 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and allow to brown for another 10-15 minutes.
Recommended Tools:
Disposable aluminum trays (if preparing for freezing/potlucks)
Tips/Notes:
Do not cook the lasagna noodles. Also, do not worry about buying the “pre-cooked” lasagna noodle either.
Assembling in disposable aluminum trays allows for easy freezing and/or easy potluck meals.
Can be made in large batches and frozen for easy throw down meals.