Lasagna with Kale and Meat Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian pork sausage, casings removed
• 1 pound ground beef
• ½ cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles
• 1 (16 ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 2 cups chopped kale
• 1 egg
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

Step 1

Warm your oven to 375°F (190°C). In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook the Italian sausage, ground beef, chopped onion, and garlic until the meat is nicely browned and crumbly, about 5 to 7 minutes. Then, stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Let everything come to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer uncovered for about an hour, stirring now and then.

Step 2

While the sauce is cooking, bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook them until they’re tender but still have a bit of bite—around 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Step 3

In a bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, chopped kale, and the egg until well combined.

Step 4

Now for the layering: spread a little bit of the meat sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of noodles, then half of the ricotta mixture, more noodles, and most of the remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle on some Parmesan, add another layer of noodles, half of the mozzarella, then noodles again, the rest of the ricotta, more noodles, and finish with the remaining meat sauce. Top everything off with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.

Step 5

Pop the lasagna into the oven and bake it uncovered for 30 to 45 minutes, until it’s bubbly and golden on top. Let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing so it sets up nicely.