This Saturday, we had a St. Patrick’s Day party and being a good part Irish, part Italian girl, I dyed some food green and served lasagna. I mean seriously, when is the last time you ever heard the Irish lauded for their culinary skills or made plans to go to the “hot, new Irish restaurant”? Um, never, that’s when. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Irish heritage. My youngest son is an adorable little redhead and I can drink with the best of ‘em, but corned beef and cabbage will never, not once, not ever be served at a party at my house. So, I loaded up on some festive appetizers and desserts and hoped the lasagna wouldn’t stick out too much and we called it a party.

Now, if you’re going to throw lasagna in with a mix of a rainbow fruit platter and Irish Cream and Mint Trifle, it had better be a damn good version and this one certainly is that. This is what I call my “company lasagna”, because it’s decadent enough that you need to run a few extra laps at the track and special enough to serve up for party guests. It features a homemade turkey sausage-based sauce, thinly sliced layers of fresh mozzarella and my favorite – lovely little chunks of goat cheese added just for good measure. It’s truly the perfect lasagna, and can be featured proudly on a St. Patty’s Day buffet table right alongside green beer and rainbow twizzlers with a Rolos pot of gold.

Turkey Sausage Lasagna

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
• 1 (28-ounce) can plus 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 pound lasagna noodles
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 6-8 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cut the goat cheese into small crumbles. Set aside.

Ladle 1/4 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: 1/3 the pasta, half the ricotta, half the mozzarella, half of the crumbled goat cheese, and a 1/4 of the sauce. Add the another layer of pasta, ricotta, mozzarella, goat cheese and finally, sauce. Top with a final layer of pasta noodles and spread the remaining 1/4 of sauce evenly on top. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Original recipe slightly adapted from The Barefoot Contessa’s Turkey Lasagna.