Lasagna With Turkey Sausage

This recipe, adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style (Clarkson Potter 2002), has all the requirements for a Sunday supper dish: Not cooking the noodles makes it easy and it can be put together a day ahead and baked the next night. Plus, using turkey sausage rather than beef makes this lasagna lighter. To make ahead, refrigerate the assembled, unbaked lasagna. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until bubbly.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1½ pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided

½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

 ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

½ pound lasagna noodles

15 ounces ricotta cheese

3-4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus ¼ cup for sprinkling

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

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 salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, until thickened.

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

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons parsley, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9-by-12-by-2-inch baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta and one third of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta and, finally, sauce. Sprinkle with ¼ cup Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.