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Three day weekends are my jam. Just the extra day of relaxation is so nice!

We had a pretty standard weekend. Slept in (well – sorta, my “sleeping in” is now 7:30am, haha) and then went to our favorite local bakery to get some croissants and fresh baked bread. They should create a candle that smells like freshly baked bread!

Spicy meaty lasagna is the perfect party casserole! This is a crowd-pleaser! Don't expect to leave with anything left in your casserole dish :)
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Oh, so on Saturday’s, Jason and I usually like to go out for dinner ’cause it gives me a break from the kitchen and it gives us a chance to try something new or just go to somewhere we love. We were craving Tex-Mex so we decided on this nearby restaurant but then we looked at the clock and it was only 5pm. Early bird special, anyone? We’re so old. We decided that it was probably a little too early to go eat so we waited 30 minutes. Umm, when we rolled up and went to the hostess counter, it was a 45 minute wait. CLEARLY people eat super early these days because we went to two other restaurants nearby after our Tex-Mex fail and the waits were already up to an hour. Sheeeesh!! We settled on an Italian place – so very far from our Tex-Mex palette so we’ll have to go some other day. Maybe next time, we’ll go at 4pm and beat everyone! ;)

Spicy meaty lasagna is the perfect party casserole! This is a crowd-pleaser! Don't expect to leave with anything left in your casserole dish :)
Spicy meaty lasagna is the perfect party casserole! This is a crowd-pleaser! Don't expect to leave with anything left in your casserole dish :)

I can’t believe I’ve had this blog for 4 years and I never posted a lasagna recipe. What was I thinking?!

Well, the perfect opportunity came last month when I was tasked to make lasagna for a Christmas cocktail party! Lasagnas are so perfect for large parties because it makes so much and it’s also fairly easy to make. I really like the layering. It’s sort of soothing and de-stressing, don’t you think? Anyway, since there were going to be men at this cocktail party, I decided to load this up with meat! We devoured the entire casserole and the plates were licked clean. Everyone hated it enough to tell me how much they didn’t enjoy it…catch that sarcasm there? :)

Okay, your turn – go make this spicy meaty lasagna for that crowd of yours!

Spicy meaty lasagna is the perfect party casserole! This is a crowd-pleaser! Don't expect to leave with anything left in your casserole dish :)
Spicy meaty lasagna is the perfect party casserole! This is a crowd-pleaser! Don't expect to leave with anything left in your casserole dish :)

PS – photographing lasagna is ridiculously hard!!

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4.38 from 8 votes

Spicy Meaty Lasagna

Spicy meaty lasagna is the perfect party casserole! This is a crowd-pleaser! 
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8

Equipment

Ingredients 

  • 12 lasagna pasta noodles
  • 1 pound (454 g) spicy pork sausage
  • ½ pound (227 g) ground beef
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 14.5 ounce (411 g) can of diced tomatoes, drained
  • 24 ounces (680 g) marinara sauce
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 15 ounces (425 g) part-skim ricotta
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 cups (224 g) whole milk mozzarella

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles to al dente according to the instructions on the package. After pasta has cooked, place into a large bowl of cold water. Set aside.
  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown and crumble/break apart sausage and ground beef with a spatula or wooden spoon. Once meat has cooked through, add onion and garlic. Cook until onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 375 °F (191 °C) and lightly grease a 9×13-inch oven-safe casserole dish. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together marinara sauce, dried oregano, dried basil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta and egg. Set aside.
  • To assemble your lasagna, remove the lasagna noodles from the water and pat them dry.
  • In the bottom of the casserole dish, add a thin layer of marinara sauce then place 3 lasagna noodles on top. Spread a little bit of the ricotta evenly on the noodles then add a layer of marina sauce and fianlly add a layer of the meat mixture on top. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese on top of the meat mixture. Repeat the layers 2 more times, ending with the cheese layer sprinkled on top.
  • Lightly spray the bottom side of the foil and cover casserole tightly with foil.
  • Bake for 25 minutes then remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.
  • Cut into squares and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving, Calories: 418kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 25g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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46 Comments

  1. Lasagna is a great meal. I remember my mom making it one time when I was a kid and my suppose to be godmother makes it so good I’m interested in trying the recipe myself. Tonight is lasagna casserole for me and the baby I’m 6 months pregnant.

  2. So question: I used ‘low fat’ ricotta instead (the grocery was actually out of skim? Weird!) and I accidentally bought whole/fresh mozzarella instead of shredded. It’s currently baking so I’m scared to see the turn out but based off your experience will it alter the original recipe taste or did I slide by ok with the substitutions (by accident) ?

    1. Hi, sorry! I don’t monitor comments all day so I’m sure by now you will have already seen the results? Hopefully it turned out okay. Whole/fresh mozzarella you typically can’t really shred..it’s super hard to do but I’ve done it before and although it’s not perfect, it can work. It wouldn’t alter the taste but the consistency and texture may be different since it won’t be as cheesy/stringy; if that makes sense. Curious how yours turned out?

  3. What do you think about freezing this? Do so before, or after, baking it? Excited to make this for a mama friend and her new baby!

    1. I would bake it halfway through then freeze it and then your friend can bake it/warm it up fully in the oven when she wants to! I’m afraid if you bake it completely and then freeze it, when she warms it up, it’ll be soggy/overcooked pasta!