If the holidays are anything like my family's then the last few days before Christmas are a mad rush to finish shopping, baking, wrapping, decorating, and futile attempts to keep your mind on straight especially on Christmas Eve. The last thing that we need is another kitchen explosion-type mess that is sure to occur when so many family cooks are in the kitchen. So in order to avoid this I made a freeze-ahead meal a few days beforehand. Lasagna and casseroles are good choices for this type of occasion. The entire meal can be assembled way in advance with little prep the night of except to press preheat on your oven. The recipe below is adapted from the box of barilla no boil noodles. These are a fantastic invention. I absolutely abhor the step in lasagna where you boil noodles that you aren't immediately smothering in tomato sauce and devouring. These also really reduce the prep time for lasagna. My only tip is to make sure you provide lots of sauce and cheese between the layers as these noodles need extra moisture since they'll be cooking during the baking process. This recipe is really easily customizable and you can add in other meats or cheese of your choice as well as any vegetables of your choice. The next time you are fraught over what to make the day before a big meal use this option to keep your cooking and clean-up stress free!Artichoke & Sausage Lasagna
1 package no boil lasagna noodles
2 jars prepared tomato sauce
1 container ricotta cheese, 15 oz
4 cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 package hot Italian sausage, 1 lb
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
1 cup red wine
1 egg, beaten
Salt & pepper to taste
1. Brown sausage in a skillet, breaking up into small pieces. Drain on paper towels.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine two jars of tomato sauce, and quartered artichokes. This will be your sauce layer.
3. In another large mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, beaten egg, 2 cups mozzarella and 1 cup Parmesan. This will be your ricotta layer.
4. Begin assembly in an 11 x 15 x 3 inch greased or non-stick sprayed casserole dish or lasagna pan. When layering lasagna spread fillings to outer edges. Also, it's okay if the noodles overlap!
To Assemble:
1. Spread 2 cups sauce mixture on bottom of pan.
2. Layer 4 uncooked sheets, 1/3 ricotta mixture, half of browned meat, 1 cup mozzarella and 1.5 cups sauce.
3. Layer 4 uncooked sheets 1/3 ricotta mixture and 1.5 cups sauce.
2 jars prepared tomato sauce
1 container ricotta cheese, 15 oz
4 cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 package hot Italian sausage, 1 lb
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
1 cup red wine
1 egg, beaten
Salt & pepper to taste
1. Brown sausage in a skillet, breaking up into small pieces. Drain on paper towels.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine two jars of tomato sauce, and quartered artichokes. This will be your sauce layer.
3. In another large mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese, beaten egg, 2 cups mozzarella and 1 cup Parmesan. This will be your ricotta layer.
4. Begin assembly in an 11 x 15 x 3 inch greased or non-stick sprayed casserole dish or lasagna pan. When layering lasagna spread fillings to outer edges. Also, it's okay if the noodles overlap!
To Assemble:
1. Spread 2 cups sauce mixture on bottom of pan.
2. Layer 4 uncooked sheets, 1/3 ricotta mixture, half of browned meat, 1 cup mozzarella and 1.5 cups sauce.
3. Layer 4 uncooked sheets 1/3 ricotta mixture and 1.5 cups sauce.
4. Layer 4 uncooked sheets the remaining of the ricotta mixture and browned meat, and 1 cup of sauce.
5. Layer 4 uncooked sheets, the remaining sauce and the remaining mozzarella.
Bake at 375, covered with foil, for 50-60 minutes until bubbly. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is browned and melted about 5 minutes.
5. Layer 4 uncooked sheets, the remaining sauce and the remaining mozzarella.
Bake at 375, covered with foil, for 50-60 minutes until bubbly. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is browned and melted about 5 minutes.
Serves 8
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