Sausage, Mushroom, and Sundried Tomato Lasagna

My guess, you have a lasagna recipe. My next guess is that you don't have one like this, which is a variation on your standard ground beef lasagna. This lasagna incorporates some strong flavors - Italian sausage and sundried tomatoes, making it more bold than your average lasagna.

The recipe I adapted this from didn't ask for sundried tomatoes, but I thought they would be a great addition, and I believe they were. In fact, the next time I make this recipe I plan to double the amount of sundried tomatoes; their flavor is so unique and adds so much flavor to pasta dishes. Now, if you do like the flavor of sundried tomatoes, let me suggest that you also try our Macaroni Grill Chicken Milano which is heavily flavored with the sweet savory flavor of sundried tomatoes.

Sausage, Mushroom, and Sundried Tomato Lasagna
Recipe adapted from epicurious.com
Pictures by Caroline

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 8-ounce packages sliced white mushrooms
1 3.5-ounce bag sundried tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces and rehydrated
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning blend
1 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup dry red wine
4 2/3 cups marinara sauce (from two 26-ounce jars)
1 9-ounce package no-cook lasagna noodles
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
2 8-ounce bags Italian blend grated cheese (4 cups)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and seasoning blend; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes.
3. Meanwhile rehydrate the sundried tomatoes. To rehydrate, boil 2 cups of water – take off heat and add the sundried tomatoes.
4. In another pan, add sausage and sauté until brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 5 minutes, drain fat from pan. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add wine; cook until almost all liquid evaporates, scraping up browned bits, about 2 minutes. Combine vegetable mixture, sundried tomatoes, and sausage mixture into one pan.
5. To make the lasagna, spread 1/3 of the marinara sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch baking dish, then spread 1/3 of the sausage mixture, 1/3 of the ricotta, and ¼ of the grated cheese. Place a layer of noodles over the top. Repeat this process until you have three layers. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the top. Cover with foil, tenting in center to prevent cheese from touching foil. Bake lasagna 45 minutes; remove foil. Bake until bubbling at edges and cheese is browned, about 10 minutes longer. Let stand 15 minutes.