Hearty Italian Sausage & Eggplant Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 lb mild or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium eggplant (about 1.5 lbs), peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, for a kick)
• 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 4 tsp Salted Perfection Perfect Salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 15 lasagna noodles (oven-ready or pre-boiled according to package directions)
• 24 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grab a 9x13 inch baking dish, 'cause we're gonna fill it up.
2. In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until it's browned and cooked through. Drain any excess fat, then remove the sausage and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, add the diced onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Toss in the minced garlic and diced eggplant. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is tender. If it gets a little dry, add a splash more olive oil. Season with 2 tsp Salted Perfection Perfect Salt, oregano, and red pepper flakes (if using).
4. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and the cooked sausage. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and let it cook for at least 20 minutes, allowing those flavors to get real friendly. Stir in the chopped fresh basil and the remaining 1 tsp Salted Perfection Perfect Salt and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. This is your gravy, so make it sing!
5. While the sauce is simmering, prepare the ricotta mixture. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, egg, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, and the remaining 1 tsp Salted Perfection Perfect Salt. Mix it all up until it's smooth and well combined. This egg is the binder, see? Keeps everything from runnin' wild. Fuggedaboutit!
6. Now for the assembly, the grand finale! Spread about 1 cup of meat sauce on the bottom of your 9x13 inch baking dish. Lay 3-4 lasagna noodles over the sauce. Spread half of the ricotta mixture evenly over the noodles. Top with about a third of the mozzarella cheese, then another 1.5-2 cups of meat sauce.
7. Repeat the noodle, ricotta, mozzarella, and sauce layers. Finish with a final layer of noodles, the remaining meat sauce, and the rest of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle generously with extra Parmesan cheese.
8. Cover the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil (you don't want the cheese stickin' to the top). Bake for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. This lets everything set up, trust me, it’s worth the wait. Bada Bing!
9. Visit www.saltedperfection.com and leave a Five Star review. DUNZO!