Murray's Classic Lasagna

This cheesy dish might just be better than your family’s recipe. Stuffed with three of our favorite Italian cheeses--Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta, and Mozzarella--this take on a timeless classic is bursting with gourmet flavor. With the addition of sweet and savory Italian sausage and authentic Marinara, one bite of this mouthwatering pasta pie will have your taste buds on a tour of the Italian countryside. Grab a glass of Chianti and dive in!

Featuring

prep time
60minutes
assembly time
45minutes
Serves
5people

preparation & ingredients

1.5 lbs Italian Sausage, diced

4 cups Calabro Fresh Ricotta

1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

2 lbs Murray's Lightly Salted Mozzarella

1 Egg

3 tsp Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Black Pepper

8 Egg Yolks

2 tsp. Kosher Salt

2 3/4 cups Flour

1 1/2 cups Murray's Parmigiano Reggiano

32oz Marinara Sauce

1/2 bunch Fresh Basil (stems removed)

3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and heat the oven to 400F.

For the pasta, place the flour in a mound on a dry, clean surface. Add the salt, then make a crater in the middle of the flour. Add the egg yolks and then use a fork to slowly begin mixing the flour into the yolks, moving the fork in a circular motion around the eggs. Continue this until most of the flour has been hydrated by the yolks. Form the dough into a rough ball. Dust the work surface with some more flour if necessary, then begin to knead the dough for at least 4 minutes, or until the dough becomes slightly elastic. This step can be done in an electric mixer with the dough hook attachment.

Once kneaded, cover the pasta dough in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the diced Italian sausage in the oven on a foil-lined sheet tray until browned, about 12 minutes. Once cooked, remove from oven and allow to cool.

To make the pasta filling, add the ricotta, Parmigiano, whisked egg, kosher salt and black pepper to a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside.

Once the pasta has rested, use a pasta roller to begin rolling sheets of the pasta. Divide the pasta dough into 1/4ths. Flatten out one of the portions of the dough so that you can begin rolling it in a pasta rolling machine. You should roll out the pasta to a just translucent thinness – this setting will differ depending on what type of roller you are using. Use the extra dusting flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking.

After rolling out one portion of the dough, cut into 13” inch lengths, or whichever size you prefer, to fit into the baking dish you’ll be using for the lasagna.

Repeat this process until all the dough has been rolled.

Season the boiling water with 1 cup of kosher salt. Have a large bowl filled with ice water, to shock the pasta sheets once cooked.

Cook the pasta sheets in the boiling water until al dente, about 2 and a half minutes. Drain the water then dump the pasta into the ice water. Once the pasta has cooled, drain the water and set the pasta onto a sheet tray lined with paper towels to dry the pasta. Set aside.

For the assembly of the lasagna, start with 3/4 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Then place a pasta sheet on the bottom, using more than one sheet if necessary to cover the bottom completely. Add a layer of the grated mozzarella. Add another pasta layer. Add a layer of the ricotta mixture and spread evenly over the pasta. Add another pasta layer. Add more marinara sauce to cover and 1/3 of the cooked Italian sausage. Add another pasta layer, then repeat two more of each layer. For the top of the lasagna, spread a thin layer of marinara on top of the pasta and cover with remaining cheese.

Bake the lasagna in a 400F oven until it bubbles around the edges, about 35 minutes. Once cooked remove from oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes. Add the fresh basil on top and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve and enjoy!