Sausage and Basil White Lasagna

You Will Need:

• 1 box lasagna noodles, you will use at least 12 for a 9×13” pan
• 8 ounces (about 2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
• 1 recipe sauce (follows)
• 1 16-ounce container of ricotta cheese
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• About ¾ to 1-ounce fresh basil, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, plus more for serving
• 1 clove garlic
• Kosher salt and black pepper

For the sauce:

• 1 ½ ounces fresh basil leaves
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 ounces grated parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• ¼ cup of parsley leaves
• Kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions:

• Make the ricotta filling
  • Stem and chop the parsley and basil.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, chopped basil and parsley, parmesan, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Grate in the garlic using a handheld grater, stir to combine and set aside.
• Prepare the sausage:
  • Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or paddle into small pieces.
  • Cook until the sausage is browned and almost cooked through. Set aside.
• Make the sauce:
  • Stem and chop the basil and parsley, set aside.
  • In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour. Continue whisking until the flour is absorbed and the mixture is uniform and bubbling.
  • Add the milk, whisk constantly to ensure there aren’t any lumps. Then add the heavy cream. Bring to a bubble, then let simmer over medium low heat for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the parmesan and cream cheese to the sauce and stir until melted and smooth.
  • Grate the garlic into the sauce, then add the basil and parsley. Stir to wilt the basil.
  • Season with Kosher salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Prepare the noodles:
  • Lay the noodles out in a large sheet pan, pour boiling water over them so they are covered and let them soak for about 5-10 minutes to soften. Ensure they aren’t layered right on top of each other to avoid sticking.
  • When ready to assemble the lasagna, carefully remove the noodles from the water and allow the excess water to drain before adding the pan.
• Assemble the lasagna:
  • Put a small amount of sauce in the bottom of the pan, just enough to cover.
  • Place a layer of noodles in the bottom of the pan, slightly overlapping each other.
  • Spread half the meat and half of the ricotta mixture over the noodles and sprinkle about a half cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Drizzle a small amount of the sauce over the top.
  • Place the next layer of noodles on top, gently pressing down to level out the filling a bit.
  • Repeat the process with the other half of the sausage and ricotta mixture, half cup mozzarella cheese, and some more sauce (reserving the rest for the top).
  • Add the top layer of noodles, gently press, then pour the remaining sauce over the top.
  • Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over the top.
• Cover the pan with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, until the sauce is bubbling, the cheese is melted, and the center is hot. Remove the foil in the last few minutes of baking to allow the top to brown slightly.
• Remove from oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes before cutting.
• Serve topped with more basil, parsley and parmesan.