cheese sauce:

1 egg
8 oz. mascarpone or ricotta cheese

  • beat egg, then fold in cheese to make a smooth sauce

zucchini:

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium zucchini
salt and pepper

  • slice zucchini into thin discs, spread on oiled baking sheet, and season with salt and pepper
  • bake at 350°F for 20 minutes

sausage:

1 tbsp. olive oil
12 oz. sausage (Lincolnshire, Cumberland or mild Italian)

  • oil a baking sheet and bake sausage at 375°F for 22 minutes
  • let cool enough to handle, then slice sausage into thin discs

assembly:

6-8 no-boil lasagna noodles or homemade pasta
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
16 oz. pasta sauce or philly tomato pie sauce

  • coat bottom of an 8x8” dish with sauce, arrange lasagna noodles to cover the pan, spread cheese sauce on the noodles, top with sausage and zucchini, then sprinkle with mozzarella
  • repeat layers until dish is full (3-4 layers), making sure all lasagna noodles are coated with sauce, and top with parmesan
  • cover dish with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes
  • remove foil and bake an additional 20-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and browned
  • let stand 15 minutes before serving

2014-12-26 19:01:34: Xmas 2014:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion
2 bell peppers
2 cloves garlic
2 jars pasta sauce
2 eggs

  • Sauté vegetables 5 minutes, then add pasta sauce and simmer for 1 hour.

2 eggs
15 oz. ricotta

  • Beat eggs and mix in ricotta.

16 oz. mozzarella cheese
4 oz. asiago cheese

  • Grate cheeses

1 lb. mild Italian chicken sausage

  • Grill sausage and thinly slice

9 lasagna noodles

  • Cover bottom of 9” x 12” pan with sauce.
  • Cover pan with lasagna noodles, coat with ricotta mixture, layer with sausage slices, sprinkle with mozzarella, and then with sauce.
  • Repeat in layers until pan is full.
  • Top with last layer of lasagna noodles, coat with sauce and sprinkle with asiago.

01/28/2023: vegetarian version:

  • 12 noodles in four layers, making 4-6 servings in a 8x8” pan
  • omitted sausage
  • sliced 2 zucchini in 1/8” slices and baked at 400°F 6-7 minutes per side
  • made 4 thinner layers
  • used 1 jar of pasta sauce, adding 3 cloves of minced, roasted garlic
  • this was very good, but the noodles were a little gummy because not quite enough moisture — would increase the amount of sauce next time

04/16/2025: made an 8” x 8” lasagna tonight with philly tomato pie sauce, italian sausage, and baked zucchini (20 minutes at 350°F). i par-boiled the lasagna noodles, and i follwed the package instructions (bake for 20 minutes at 400°F), but the noodles were a bit firm, and the lasagna had a little too much moisture. so next time i would bake for 30-45 minutes instead. i also used sliced mozzarella (slices about 3/16” thick) which were a little too thick, so i would shred whole mozzarella instead. but otherwise, it was a very nice combination.

01/21/2026: updating to reflect what i’m currently doing (8x8” pan, zucchini, philly tomato pie sauce)