Lasagna with smoked sausage

Ingredients:

Lasagna

• 450 g lasagna sheets
• 220 g pepperoni slices (about 2 cups)
• 4 cups homemade tomato sauce
• 450 g ricotta
• 450 gr. grated mozzarella
• 900 g of fried Italian sausage without casings
• 3/4 tbsp. grated parmesan

Tomato sauce

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 5 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans (800 g each) of canned crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced ​​fresh basil
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C.
2. Bring 6 liters of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt, and cook the lasagna noodles until almost done, about 7 minutes. Drain and toss the noodles in a bowl of ice.
3. Place the pepperoni in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
4. Pour 1 cup tomato sauce into a 25 x 35 cm baking dish. Arrange the lasagna noodles in an even layer, overlapping by 1 cm. Add a third of the ricotta and a quarter of the mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, and Parmesan. Top with 1 cup tomato sauce. Repeat the layers two more times. Top with the remaining tomato sauce, mozzarella, sausage, and pepperoni, and sprinkle with Parmesan. At this point, you can refrigerate the lasagna and then freeze it.
5. Bake until cheese is bubbling around the edges and melted, about 45 minutes.
6. If you're using lasagna from the freezer, increase the baking time by 15–20 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if the cheese browns too quickly. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice and serve immediately, adding more sauce if desired.
7. Homemade tomato sauce:
   
   Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat until translucent, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until almost browned, about 10 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and cook for 30 minutes over low to medium heat. Stir in the basil and oregano and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, let cool, and refrigerate until ready to use.