My secret step to a quick lasagna are two ingredients (1) Rao’s Sauce (2) Fresh basil. Rao’s has not sent me a single free product, a sponsored post, (hi Rao’s I love you guys, notice me!!!) etc etc and it’s one of the most expensive sauces on the store shelves (for good reason). It wins taste tests year over year. I’ve never been able to find a jarred sauce that doesn’t taste…jarred? I can thank Alicia DiMichele for introducing me to this sauce (the family recipes on her IG stories are amazing, BTW). This has no bizarre aftertaste. I do debate trying other sauces again when I compare the price. If you’ve found one that compares to Rao’s, please let me know because I have yet to discover it. I like to just add fresh basil from the garden to brighten up the dish a bit (PS – I’m on a huge basil kick lately, stay tuned for a series of basil-infused recipes). The Rao’s ingredients are Imported Italian tomatoes, Olive Oil, Onions, Fresh Basil & Oregano, Fresh Garlic, Salt & Cracked Pepper. Nothing shocking here, so I’m not sure what they do that it tastes nothing like jarred sauce?!
Watch the lasagna video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9bLJAfQIYM&t=334s
You’ll Need:
1 jar Rao’s marinara sauce
6C spinach, cooked, drained and cooled (cook it right with your pasta sheets)
2 1/2C whole milk ricotta
1/4C parm reggiano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
lasagna noodles (the curly-edged ones)
fresh basil chiffonades, a handful
Make It:
1 – Preheat oven to 375*F. Boil your lasagna noodles (about 7 mins, make sure they are al dente)
2 – Mix ricotta and spinach. Add lots of fresh cracked pepper (about 15 twists). Mix in parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper.
3 – In a baking dish layer: marinara sauce, pasta sheets, spread with ricotta. Repeat until you use all the ingredients up.
4 – Bake at 375*F 35 mins (cover with aluminum foil if you’d like but I LOVE the crispy curly edges of the lasagna so I opt to not cover it).
5 – Sprinkle with fresh basil when it comes out of the oven and enjoy!
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