Sheet Pan Lasagna

5 from 4 votes

This is a delicious riff on traditional lasagna that takes only an hour from start to finish. You can add less noodles and change the amount of ricotta to suit what you and your family like. Be sure to have all your ingredients prepped and divided as instructed before starting. This recipe will flow easily if you prepare.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Calories: 645kcal

Author: Sally Humeniuk

Equipment

1 Baking sheet 12 x 17
1 Large skillet 12" or bigger
1 medium strainer
1 Medium bowl
1 medium sauce pan big enough to easily boil 10-ounces of pasta

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil divided
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
5-ounce pkg baby spinach
1 cup ricotta cheese, or more to your liking
1 ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
1 pound italian sausage more or less to your liking
1 medium onion diced
24 ounces jarred pasta sauce
1 tbsp pesto sauce optional
10 ounces lasagna noodles broken into 2" pieces, or mafalda or farfelle
2 tbsp fresh basil torn into small pieces
extra mozzarella and Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375℉. Drizzle olive oil and rub to cover a 12" x 17" baking sheet. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet to medium and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking and stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Add the spinach, cooking until it's almost completely wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer the spinach, garlic, pepper flake mixture to a strainer and with the back of a spoon, press out as much of the liquid as you can. Transfer the spinach mixture to a medium bowl and snip with kitchen shears until cut to desired pieces. Add the ricotta cheese and ½ cup of the grated Parmesan. Mix until combined and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring a large sauce pan or stockpot with 2-quarts water and bring to boil. (You'll work on the meat/sauce ingredients at the same time as the noodles.) Add broken lasagna noodles, or whatever pasta you're using for this recipe. Boil the noodles for approximately 5 minutes and then retain ½ cup of the pasta water. Drain the noodles.
While the water for the noodles is getting ready and as the noodles boil, finish up the sauce. Wipe out the skillet, heat to medium and drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the Italian sausage, cooking and breaking up into small pieces until it's no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the diced red onion and cook with the sausage until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the pasta sauce and pesto, if you're using it, stirring to combine. Stir in the ½ cup pasta water from the semi-cooked noodles.
Add the drained pasta to the sauce/meat mixture and stir to coat the noodles. Add 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and stir until just melted. Pour this mixture onto the baking sheet, spreading to the edges.
Place bite-sized dollops of the ricotta-spinach mixture over the sauce mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese over the top and then the remaining 1 cup Parmesan cheese.
Bake until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is lightly golden, about 30 minutes. Watch it after 20 minutes so the cheese doesn't get too brown. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut individual servings and dish up with extra cheeses and torn basil.

Notes

To make this recipe vegetarian, leave out the meat and use a chunky pasta sauce or add any favorite chopped vegetables (carrots, broccoli, zucchini) or a 15-ounce can of Italian diced tomatoes.
Broken lasagna noodles work in this recipe but I prefer the ease of a "mini lasagna" noodle like gigli, reginetti or even farfalle. Mafalda and taccole are wonderful but not easy to come by. Google "mini lasagna noodles" and you should be able to find fun options in your area. Depending on where you live, farfalle may be easiest to find in your local grocer.

Nutrition