Lasagna Recipe With Sausage and Beef

We’re making a Lasagna Recipe With Sausage and Beef with caramelized onions.

This is a dinner idea for a night when you’re looking for warmth and comfort on a plate. 

The onions give this easy lasagna recipe the kick that it needs to bring the savory, aroma-filled, and meaty lasagna to life!

Get the recipe below and give it a try.  

Lasagna Recipe With Sausage and Beef, Caramelized Onions

Issathing, when either my wife or I remembers to take out some type of meat for dinner early in the morning, so it will be thawed by the time dinner prep rolls around. 

Recently, it has come to our attention, courtesy of our second twin, that we need to add more variety to our dinner menu.

Well, la dee da! Who died and made this guy in charge of the supper menu? The nerve!

Anyway, at some point, lasagna comes up as a possible choice, and when lasagna enters the conversation, we couldn’t let it go.

Here’s what we did.

What You Will Need:

I added the Italian sausage to the lean ground beef. After the meat had finished browning, I strained off the excess grease and set it aside. 

Next, I set a large stock pot of water on the stovetop in preparation for the pasta. As the water heated, I began caramelizing the onions in a hot skillet with melted goat butter, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.

Once the onions began to brown slightly, I turned the heat to low and slowly let them do their thang.

Over the next 40 minutes, I pre-cooked the pasta, and finished prepping the rest of the ingredients, and the onions took on a whole different and delicious vibe.

Caramelized onions are the absolute best. 

I always brush the bottom of the lasagna dish with extra-virgin olive oil and ladle in two cups of sauce.

This does two things: it is a foundation built on flavor, and it prevents the lasagna from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Win and win!

Next, I add the lasagna pasta. I only cooked these in boiling water for five (5) minutes and cooled them in an ice-water bath.

This ensures you aren’t working with pasta that is going to fall apart.

Unlike working with uncooked pasta, which is a real thing, the cooked lasagna will expand and fill the space without leaving any gaps at the ends or sides of the pan. Who wants gaps? Not I. 

And since this is a Ricotta cheese lasagna, I am using a lot of ricotta, at least mostly.

I prefer the Ricotta to reach room temperature only because it makes it spreadable and easier to work with.

I also used Mozzarella and fragrantly pungent Parmigiano-Reggiano, too.

Next time, I think I am only going to use ricotta and caramelized onion. What do you think?

I was seriously thinking about stopping the whole procedure at this point and just dig in!

Lots of lean ground beef and savory Italian sausage went into this lasagna, and I ain’t even mad!

The colors are lit, and the fresh peppers and green onions only add to the already bursting flavor profile!

I topped the whole thing off with a ton of shredded Mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Clearly, you understand why.

Out of the oven and time to dig in! 

But you know what? It will only taste better tomorrow. But only if there are leftovers to be had. Fingers crossed!

How to make Italian Sausage & Caramelized Onions + Ricotta Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large sweet red bell pepper, diced
• 5 green onions, sliced
• 1 16-ounce container ricotta cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
• 2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1 package lasagna pasta (pre-boil for 5 minutes)
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons goat butter
• 1 large jar of pasta sauce (about 24 oz)
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked black peppercorns
• Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, combine the ground beef and Italian sausage. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain excess grease and set aside.
2. In another skillet, melt goat butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the sliced onions, season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and cook until they begin to brown. Reduce the heat to low and let them slowly caramelize for 35–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft, jammy, and golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 5 minutes (they’ll finish cooking in the oven). Drain, then shock in an ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Keep submerged in cold water to prevent sticking.
4. Dice the green and red peppers, slice the green onions, and mince the garlic. You can sauté them briefly in olive oil (1–2 minutes) for a sweeter, softer flavor, or keep them fresh for crunch and brightness in the layers.
5. Build the Lasagna. Brush the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Ladle in 2 cups of pasta sauce (this both prevents sticking and starts with flavor). Layer noodles across the bottom. Add spoonfuls of ricotta (room temperature spreads more easily). Add some of the caramelized onions. Add browned meat mixture. Spoon on more sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella + Parmigiano. Add diced peppers, green onions, and garlic.
   Repeat layers until the pan is nearly full, finishing with noodles → sauce → a heavy blanket of mozzarella + Parmigiano.
6. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350°F for 45–60 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and golden. Remove foil for the last 10 minutes if you want a browned cheesy crust.
7. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting (so it holds together). Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with garlic bread.

What wine to drink with a red sauce lasagna?

I prefer more full-bodied reds like a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Syrah/Malbec blend, as of late I have been enjoying Spanish wines a lot too, in my opinion, wines hailing from Espana are some of the best and most underrated wines being produced today.

If you are a fan of red wine, give a nice Rioja Crianza a try!

When the smell of just-out-of-the-oven lasagna fills the house, I go looking for wine and find this Farmer’s Red we picked up in Ohio a few summers ago.

It was a bit sweet for my taste, but it worked out just fine. Cheers. Let’s eat! O

Let me tell you, adding caramelized onions to this mix of wonderful flavors was SO the right choice. Worth. The. Wait!

After decanting the wine for 15-minutes I took another sip, the wine had opened up a bit more.

What could be better than a delicious home-cooked lasagna and a glass of wine? Not much. Cheers!

When’s the last time you made lasagna at your house? Give our recipe a try and come back and let us know! 

Lasagna Recipe With Sausage and Beef

We're making a Lasagna Recipe With Sausage and Beef with caramelized onions. The onions give this easy lasagna recipe the kick that it needs to bring the savory, aroma-filled, and meaty lasagna to life!

4.67 from 3 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 9

Author: This Worthey Life

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x4x5x

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 1 large green bell pepper diced
• 1 large sweet red bell pepper diced
• 5 green onions sliced
• 1 16- ounce container ricotta cheese at room temperature
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese grated
• 2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano grated
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 4 medium yellow onions thinly sliced
• 1 package lasagna pasta pre-boil for 5 minutes
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
• 2 tablespoons goat butter
• 1 large jar of pasta sauce about 24 oz
• Sea salt
• Freshly cracked black peppercorns
• Fresh parsley chopped (for garnish)

Instructions

• In a large skillet, combine the ground beef and Italian sausage. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Drain excess grease and set aside.
• In another skillet, melt goat butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the sliced onions, season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, and cook until they begin to brown. Reduce the heat to low and let them slowly caramelize for 35–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft, jammy, and golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook for 5 minutes (they'll finish cooking in the oven). Drain, then shock in an ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Keep submerged in cold water to prevent sticking.
• Dice the green and red peppers, slice the green onions, and mince the garlic. You can sauté them briefly in olive oil (1–2 minutes) for a sweeter, softer flavor, or keep them fresh for crunch and brightness in the layers.
• Build the Lasagna. Brush the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Ladle in 2 cups of pasta sauce (this both prevents sticking and starts with flavor). Layer noodles across the bottom. Add spoonfuls of ricotta (room temperature spreads more easily). Add some of the caramelized onions. Add browned meat mixture. Spoon on more sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella + Parmigiano. Add diced peppers, green onions, and garlic.
Repeat layers until the pan is nearly full, finishing with noodles → sauce → a heavy blanket of mozzarella + Parmigiano.
• Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350°F for 45–60 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and golden. Remove foil for the last 10 minutes if you want a browned cheesy crust.
• Remove from oven and let rest 15 minutes before cutting (so it holds together). Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with garlic bread.

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