Lemons work just as well in savory dishes as they do in sweet ones. They add brightness and acidity to what could otherwise be a “too bland” or “too rich” dish. In my Lemon and Sausage Lasagna the lemons work to cut through the richness of the sausage and cheese while adding a bright and refreshing flavor to the entire dish. The lemons are a wonderful addition!
In this recipe I make homemade lasagna noodles. I like the texture better than dried noodles and they take no time at all to make, especially if you have the right equipment. That said, store-bought noodles can easily be substituted in this dish so feel free to go either route.
To make noodles from scratch, pile two cups of all-purpose flour onto a clean hard surface such as a countertop. Carve a well into the middle of the flour (like a volcano) and crack three large whole eggs and one egg yolk into the well. Sprinkle the eggs with a pinch of salt. Gently whisk the eggs, gradually pulling the flour into the egg mixture. Once incorporated, use your hands to knead the dough until fully incorporated and smooth, about five minutes. Shape the dough into a dish, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it on the counter for 30 minutes to rest and allow the dough to hydrate. After 30 minutes, use a dough roller or rolling pin to roll your noodles out to the desired thickness. I use my KitchenAid standing mixer with a noodle rolling attachment and gradually roll my dough out to a #6 on my KitchenAid. If you are using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/16th of an inch thick.
Work with ¼ of the dough at a time and keep the dough that you are not working with covered in plastic wrap so that it does not dry out. Also, as you are rolling out the dough, if you find that it is sticky, sprinkle it with flour. As the pasta sheets are rolled, lay them on a flat surface that has been dusted with all-purpose or semolina flour. Cover the pasta sheets with a towel to rest until ready to assemble the lasagna.
For the filling, start by marinating the ground pork. I usually do this while my pasta dough is resting. In a large bowl, mix together one pound of ground pork along with one teaspoon each of salt, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic, crushed fennel, dried oregano, dried basil and sugar. Let the pork marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Next, make the ricotta mixture by stirring together ¼ cup of finely chopped parsley, 2 cups of ricotta cheese, the zest of one lemon, one teaspoon of salt and one egg. Set aside.
Finally, fry the sausage until cooked through and drain it on paper towels until ready to use. Shred ⅓ cup of parmesan cheese and thinly slice two lemons (the one that you zested for the ricotta mixture, plus one more). Remove the lemon seeds from each lemon slice and blanch the lemons by placing them in a steep-sided skillet that has been filled with water that is just covering the lemon slices. Bring the water to a boil and cook the lemons for five minutes or until softened. Remove the lemons from the pan and set aside. It is now time to assemble the lasagna.
Preheat the oven to 375 deg F and grab an 8×8 square pan. Layer ½ cup of sausage onto the bottom of the pan followed by a heaping ⅓ cup of the ricotta mixture. Cut the noodles to size and layer them in the pan next, trying not to overlap the noodles by too much. Layer on another heaping ⅓ cup of ricotta mixture followed by ⅓ cup of shredded parmesan cheese, ½ cup of sausage, then half the lemon slices. Top the lemon slices with another layer of noodles, then repeat with the parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese and sausage. Skip adding lemons to this layer. Repeat one last time, then top with one final layer of noodles. Press everything into the pan so that it is nice and flat. Add the last of the lemon slices to the top of the lasagna and sprinkle on the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake the lasagna for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top and bubbly. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Sausage and Lemon Lasagna
Ingredients
For the Lasagna Noodles
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 whole eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- pinch of salt
For the Sausage
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- t tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp crushed fennel seeds
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- tsp sugar
For the Ricotta Mixture
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- 2 cups ricotta
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 egg
Additional Lasagna Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 1⅓ cups shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- To make the lasagna noodles, pile two cups of all-purpose flour onto a hard surface such as the counter. Make a well in the center of the flour and crack in three eggs, plus one egg yolk. Sprinkle the eggs with salt. Whisk the eggs together, gradually incorporating the flour. Then, use your hands to knead the dough for about five minutes. Shape into a disk and wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Set on the counter for 30 minutes to rest.
- While the dough rests, marinate the ground pork. Let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- When the dough is ready, divide into quarters and working in batches roll the dough out until thin, about 1/16ths of an inch thick. I use my KitchenAid to roll out the dough to a #6. If using a rolling pin (which works just as well), roll the dough out to as thin as you can get it. Cover the sheets of pasta and set aside.
- Fry the sausage until cooked through, then set aside to drain on a few paper towels.
- Make the ricotta mixture and set aside.
- Next, thinly slice two lemons (the one you zested for the ricotta mixture) plus one more. Re move the seeds from the lemon slices and add to a large steep-sided skillet. Fill the pan with just enough water to cover the lemons. Bring the water to a boil and cook the lemons for 5 minutes until soft. Remove the lemons from the water and set aside.
- It's now to time assemble the lasagna. Preheat the oven to 375°F and grab and 8x8 inch square pan.
- Add ½ cup of cooked sausage and a heaping ⅓ cup of ricotta cheese to the bottom of the pan. Cover with the pasta noodles, cutting them to size so that they do not overlap, but cover the underneath layer. Top the noodles with a heaping ⅓ cup of ricotta cheese, ⅓ cup of shredded parmesan and ½ cup of sausage. Layer on half the lemon slices, then top the lemons slices with another layer of pasta. Repeat with another layer of ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and sausage, but omit the lemon slices. Cover with noodles and repeat again. Top this final layer with one last layer of pasta, arrange the last of the lemon slices on top and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Bake the lasagna for 40-45 minutes or until golden on top and bubbly. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
