Mel's Italian Sausage Lasanga

I was so excited when I was asked to be a part of the Del Monte Enjoy Life More campaign.

I love using Del Monte Canned Fruits & Vegetables when I cook and I have a wonderful recipe to share with you.

When Kevin and I got married, I had never lived on my own.

I went from graduating college to getting engaged, and I lived at home until we got married.

My first time (besides college) living on my own was when I got married.

I was so excited to have my own kitchen & be in charge of making & creating meals for Kevin and me.

I grew up in a home where my mom made homemade meals every night and I valued that.

As a newlywed, that is something I knew I wanted to do. Make dinner every night.

I remember the first homemade meal I made for Kevin.

Homemade Lasagna was one of his favorite meals, so I wanted to make sure I could make it.

It took some trial & error to get my recipe just right, but after our first year of marriage, I had mastered Lasagna and created a recipe that I was proud of and that my husband loved.

I hope you love it also!

 Here is what you need:

-Lasagna noodles

- Package of Italian Sausage

-Container of fresh mushrooms

- Container of Ricotta Cheese

- 4 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

-Grated Parmesan Cheese

-2 cans Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic & Oregano

-1 Large Can/Jar of  Pasta Sauce

This is the Sausage I always use, it's sweet Italian. But, any Italian Sausage will do!

Cut up your sausage into chunks:

Brown the sausage in a skillet:

After it is cooked all the way through, drain the excess grease.

In the same skillet, add the cans of diced tomatoes & can of Pasta Sauce to the sausage.

Then add the fresh mushrooms (If you don't like mushrooms, don't add them!)

Stir everything together.

Yum!

Cover & let simmer for an hour.

After an hour, your sauce is already to go!

In a 9x13 pan, spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom:

Now it's time to layer up your Lasagna! I use these noodles because you don't have to boil them.

Layer Noodles, then more Sauce:

Then sprinkle on Mozzarella cheese & Parmesan cheese:

Then dollop on your Ricotta Cheese. You will use the entire container on this layer.

Add another layer of noodles:

More Sauce:

More Mozzarella & Parmesan Cheese:

Add a final layer of noodles:

The remaining sauce:

And top with the rest of the cheese.

Cover with foil & Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Take off the foil & bake for another 15 minutes so the cheese can get nice a browned:

YUM.

I always serve with Caesar Salad & a glass of wine!

This is one of our favorite meals, especially during the fall & winter months.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

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