Lasagna with Sausage and Beef
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This Lasagna with Sausage and Beef is the ultimate comfort food. Layers of savoury beef and sausage in tangy marinara sauce, al dente pasta, creamy bechamel, and melted mozzarella finished with beautiful sharp parmesan to top it all off.
During our honeymoon in Italy, my husband and I stayed in Florence, a beautiful walled medieval city in the Tuscan area of Italy. Tuscany is renowned for the beautiful vistas and the amazing wineries that cover it’s rolling hills. It is by far one of the most incredible places I’ve ever visited. The ancient cities and towns were incredible, and their beauty was matched only by the incredible food and wine produced in the region.
Not only did we have incredible wine in Tuscany, we also had delicious lasagna. The key to a perfect lasagna is the perfect balance of tangy sauce and creaminess. This delicious lasagna has both.
This Lasagna with Sausage and Beef is the ultimate comfort food. Layers of savoury beef and sausage in tangy marinara sauce, al dente pasta, creamy bechamel, and melted mozzarella finished with beautiful sharp parmesan to top it all off. This delicious meal is worth every minute of prep time, and will become a favourite in your home as it is in ours.
TOTAL TIME
- Preparation Time – 25 minutes
- Cooking Time – 1 hour 30 minutes
- Total Time – 1 hour 55 minutes
INGREDIENTS FOR LASAGNA WITH SAUSAGE AND BEEF
All the ingredients for this Lasagna are easy to source from any local grocer.
Sausage and Beef Sauce
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Spicy Italian Sausages
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Onion, diced
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 2 sprigs Oregano, fresh
- 8 sprigs Thyme, fresh
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 6 Crimini Mushrooms (about 2 cups diced)
- 1/4 cup Tomato Paste
- 1 1/2 ltrs Canned Tomato
- 1 cup Red Wine
Bechamel Sauce
- 4 cups Milk, 2 %
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 cloves Garlic
- Parmesan Rind
Beef and Sausage Lasagna
- 1 1/2 boxes Dried Lasagna Noodles (~500g/25 sheets)
- 250 grams Mozzarella
- Parmesan, to taste
WHY DO YOU USE BOTH SAUSAGE AND BEEF?
Sausage adds both flavour and fat to this delicious sauce. Combining the two meats adds a depth of flavour that you can’t get from just one.
CAN I USE OLD WINE IN MY SAUCE?
Often I hear people say that they have an open bottle that’s starting to go off, so they’ll just use it for cooking. This makes no sense to me. The wine imparts beautiful flavour to the meat sauce in this meal, so why would you use a bottle that’s starting to sour? That said, you certainly don’t need to buy an expensive bottle specifically for this meal. Simply use something you enjoy the taste of, because that is the flavour that will be imparted to your dish.
WHAT ARE CRIMINI MUSHROOMS?
Cremini mushrooms are small juvenile Portobello mushrooms. I prefer them to white mushrooms when I cook because they impart a delicious flavour.
DO I HAVE TO USE A PARMESAN RIND?
Adding a parmesan rind to your bechamel will infuse it with flavour without actually needing to add cheese to the sauce.
WHAT IS TOMATO PASTE?
Tomato paste is an extremely concentrated tomato product. It is made by crushing and heating the tomatoes, thus reducing them and remove the excess water content. The result is a strongly flavoured paste which adds a lot of flavour to this dish.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS FOR LASAGNA WITH BEEF AND SAUSAGE
CAN I USE PASSATA INSTEAD OF CANNED TOMATOES FOR THE SAUCE?
Canned tomatoes can be purchased whole, diced, or crushed. The two products are mostly interchangeable in terms of taste, but the resulting texture is quite different. I like to use canned tomatoes in this lasagna because it adds some rustic texture.
You could use passata instead, but the crushed strained tomatoes won’t have the same varied texture.
CAN I MAKE THIS LACTOSE FREE?
It will require several substitutions, but this lasagna can easily be made lactose free. Simple substitutions like lactose free milk and butter can be used on a one for one basis. For the cheese, you can simply source lactose free mozzarella.
CAN I USE GROUND PORK INSTEAD OF SAUSAGE?
I wouldn’t recommend substituting ground pork for sausage because your lasagna would be missing a lot of flavourful spices and fat.
CAN I USE FRESH LASAGNA SHEETS INSTEAD OF DRIED?
I have made lasagna many times using both fresh and dried noodles. In my experience fresh noodles often become overcooked and gummy in the oven, while good quality dried lasagna sheets stay perfectly al dente in the oven. I would not recommend using fresh noodles in this dish.
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT OIL THAN OLIVE IN THE SAUCE?
You could use any oil you wish, however I strongly suggest you stick with a traditional extra virgin olive oil. There is a significant amount of oil used to sautee the sausage and beef, which means there is an opportunity to build flavour. Olive oil is a delicious and authentic way to build flavour in this sauce.
CAN I USE AN OIL OTHER THAN OLIVE IN THE SAUCE?
You could use any oil you wish, however I strongly suggest you stick with a traditional extra virgin olive oil. There is a significant amount of oil used to sautee the sausage and beef, which means there is an opportunity to build flavour. Olive oil is a delicious and authentic way to build flavour in this sauce.
EQUIPMENT FOR LASAGNA WITH SAUSAGE AND BEEF
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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make this amazing lasagna with sausage and beef:
- Heavy Bottomed Pan – My most used pan by far is my Le Creuset Braising Pan. It is made of heavy cast iron and coated in ceramic as all Le Creuset cast iron pans are. It’s large and deep which makes it perfect for every step in this dish. I can’t recommend it enough.
- Wooden Spoon
- Kitchen Knife – Zwilling J.A. Henkel Kitchen Knife a good kitchen knife is a necessary tool for any home cook. Quality and price point varies widely. This is what I use at home. It’s a perfectly decent knife, while still being very affordable.
- Cutting Board
- Baking Dish
COOKING DIRECTIONS FOR LASAGNA WITH SAUSAGE AND BEEF
This Lasagna is a labour of love, but is not difficult to prepare. By following several important rules you’re virtually guaranteed an incredible dish your first time:
- Make sure to brown your sausage and beef until caramelized.
- Use dried lasagna sheets for al dente bite.
- Always let your lasagna rest for at least 15 minutes before trying to cut it.
MAKE AHEAD STORAGE
If you’d like, you could make you sausage and beef sauce in advance.
This delicious Lasagna with Sausage and Beef can be stored in the fridge for up to four days, and can be frozen in an airtight container. It makes enough to serve 8, so I like to serve half and freeze the other half for a later date.
FINISHED LASAGNA WITH SAUSAGE AND BEEF
Enjoy your delicious Lasagna with Sausage and Beef!
OTHER LASAGNA DISHES
OTHER SAUSAGE DISHES
Quick and Delicious Shrimp and Sausage Pasta
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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Lasagna with Sausage and Beef
Equipment
- French Oven
- Kitchen knife
- Kitchen Aid Food Processor
- Wooden spoon
- Cutting Board
- Sauce pan
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
Sausage and Beef Sauce
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Spicy Italian Sausages
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Onion diced
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 2 sprigs Oregano fresh
- 8 sprigs Thyme fresh
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 6 Crimini Mushrooms about 2 cups diced
- 1/4 cup Tomato Paste
- 1 1/2 ltrs Canned Tomato
- 1 cup Red Wine
Bechamel Sauce
- 4 cups Milk 2 %
- 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter
- 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 cloves Garlic
- Parmesan Rind
Lasagna with Sausage and Beef
- 1 1/2 boxes Dried Lasagna Noodles ~500g/25 sheets
- 250 grams Mozzarella
- Parmesan to taste
Instructions
Sausage and Beef Sauce
- Heat the olive oil on medium high heat then add the onion and cook it for 1 minute until softened.
- Add the beef and sausage and cook for 15 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks, until browned.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and cook it for 2 minutes.
- Add the wine and reduce for 5 minutes.
- Add the canned tomatoes, fresh herbs, and salt. Cook for an additional 45 minutes.
Bechamel Sauce
- Heat the milk in a small pot over medium heat.
- In a second small pot heat the butter over medium low heat for 3-5 minutes until melted.
- Once the butter is melted remove from the stove, and whisk in the flour a bit at a time until it forms a smooth paste.
- Place the pot with the flour and butter back on the stove on medium heat and add the milk a few ladles at a time while whisking.
- Each time the mixture thickens (2-3 minutes), add some more milk. Whisk continuously to avoid clumping.
- Continue until you've used all the milk and the bechamel is smooth, then set aside.
Lasagna with Sausage and Beef
- Preheat the oven to 375 F and grate the mozzarella. Divide it into five piles.
- Spoon a few ladles of sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and spread it evenly.
- Place the lasagna sheets in a layer on the bottom of the pan, slightly overlapping at the edges.
- Spoon several ladles of sauce onto the pasta and spread it.
- Spoon 1/5 of the bechamel sauce onto the meat sauce.
- Sprinkle one of the piles of mozzarella onto the bechamel.
- Layer more lasagna sheets onto the cheese.
- Continue layering sauce, bechamel, mozzarella and pasta for 3 more layers for a total of 5.
- Spread some more sauce onto the top layer of noodles.
- Sprinkle the last of the mozzarella onto the lasagna and grate some Parmesan on top.
- Bake uncovered for 40 minutes until the lasagna starts to bubble and become golden, then turn the oven to broil and bake until crisp, another 4-6 minutes.
