Tour of Italy Sausage Lasagna (Red, White, and Green Sauces)--Vegetarian Options Included

This picture is from kraftrecipes.com.  Taking a good picture of lasagna is IMPOSSIBLE!  And if I posted a picture of my own, you'd probably never make this amazing recipe!  This Lasagna recipe is unique for the following reasons:

1.  It does NOT use ricotta cheese

2.  You use sausage for the meat

3.  It has a layer of carmelized onions--YUM!

4.  It has THREE kinds of sauce:  Tomato, Alfredo, and Pesto

5.  It FEEDS A LOT.  

7.  BEWARE This recipe is not for the traditional 9x13 pan.  If you do not have a large pan (size noted in recipe) you can make two 9x13 pans.  

8.  You DO NOT have to cook the noodles ahead of time.

9.  It has the secret ingredient...of green spanish olives.  I don't like Spanish olives myself since they are so strong, but don't worry, they are minced and it adds a secret flare that is a must!  I buy the large jar of Spanish Green Olives stuffed with pimento from Costco.

My husband lived in Rome, Italy for quite awhile, so he is the resident "pasta" expert.  I have learned a lot from him.  In Italy they NEVER put ricotta in lasagna.  That is an American-Thing.  We have made variations of this recipe for years, and finally decided to commit to a predictable product.  The recipe is now here for you!  You can really layer in ratios however your want as long as you do FOUR layers of noodles (just the regular ones--not oven ready since they have a weird consistency--and you do NOT cook them ahead of time).  Hopefully this makes sense!

FOR 15.5 x 11.5 x 2.5 Pan

White Sauce:  1 15 oz bottle Classico Alfredo Sauce

Green Sauce:  1 c. Costco Basil Pesto

Red Sauce: 1  28-34 oz. Bertolli (or Classico) Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce, 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, 2 TBS Italian Seasoning, 1 tsp salt

2 large sweet vidalia onions, carmelized w/ 1/4 c. butter and 2 TBS brown sugar

20 green olives, minced

2 lbs. Mozzarella Cheese

1 lb. Jimmy Dean Regular Pork Sausage, cooked until super brown and crisp and fat drained

fresh basil (optional for garnish)
2 lbs Lasagna Noodles (DO NOT COOK THEM and DO NOT USE OVEN-READY)

Before Layering:
1.  Blend crushed tomatoes and Bertolli's sauce together with spices.

Layers:

1.  1/3 of red sauce

2.  Noodles

3.  Pesto, 1/2 of meat, cheese

4.  Lasagna Noodles

5.  Alfredo sauce, onions

6.  Lasagna Noodles

7.  1/3 red sauce, cheese, 1/2 of the olives

8.  Lasagna Noodles

9. 1/3 Red Sauce, 1/2 of meat, 1/2 of the olives

10.  Mozzarella (add just last 10 minutes of baking)

Bake 375 for 80 minutes COVERED in foil.  Remove foil, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and bake uncovered 10 minutes more.  Remove from oven and garnish with fresh basil if desired.

***For Vegetarian version, omit sausage and add a layer of shredded carrots, one layer of shredded zucchini, and two layers of swiss chard or spinach or both! (chopped finely).

15.5 x 11.5 x 2.5 Pan

***If your lasagna comes out to dry for your taste...one thing to do next time is to add 1/3 cup of water around pan perimeter.