Venison Lasagna

Looking for a super hearty meal to feed the masses? This is it! Lasagna is such a perfect winter meal: rich and delicious!

As per my usual recipes, I aim to spice it up and make it a simple recipe to follow with standardized ingredients that can be easily sourced no matter where you live.

You can make a lighter version of this recipe—but let’s be real—if you are eating lasagna, it needs to be chock full of cheeses, meats, and pasta!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb venison burger (I prefer using venison Italian sausage as it adds much more flavor!)
• 8 oz chopped mushrooms (I like baby Bellas, but ANY mushroom works!)
• 1 tub Ricotta Cheese (30 oz)
• 1 bag frozen chopped spinach
• 67 oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 box lasagna noodles (DO NOT use the no-boil noodles. You’ll be sad if you do.)
• 32 oz shredded Mozzarella (I actually use more than this…cheesier the better)
• 3 tsp Minced Garlic
• Fresh Basil (optional)
• Red Pepper Flakes (optional)

Directions:

1. Boil water and add lasagna noodles. Cook until tender. Rinse and drain. Set aside in a colander. Failure to rinse will result in one mass of congealed pasta which is not at all conducive to creating lasagna.
2. In a skillet, cook your venison burger or Italian Sausage. Break down larger chunks as they will defile your lasagna. Add mushrooms to burger/sausage and cook until browned. Set aside.
3. Thaw but do not cook spinach. Squeeze the remaining water from the spinach. Failure to do so will make a sloppy mess of your lasagna. No one wants that.
4. Combine the ricotta cheese, garlic, chopped spinach, and red pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
5. Make a layer of lasagna noodles in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
6. Take half of the ricotta cheese mixture and evenly spread it over the noodles.
7. Take half of the sausage mixture and evenly spread it over the ricotta cheese.
8. Pour half of the spaghetti sauce over the sausage mixture and spread it evenly.
9. Take half of the mozzarella cheese and spread it evenly over the sauce.
10. Repeat steps 5-9 so you have 2 complete layers. Here is where I often add more cheese to this top layer of cheese as it really makes the meal. There is no such thing as too much cheese in lasagna.
11. Cover with aluminum foil but do not let foil rest on the cheese lest it will stick like crazy and will be a huge disappointment. And no one wants that either.
12. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour. Here’s a very important suggestion: place a cookie sheet under the pan as it will no doubt make a mess and your kitchen will soon be full of so much smoke the fire department will show up. My oven is caked with lasagna remnants that continue to haunt me, no matter how many times I self-clean that sucker.
13. As different ovens cook differently, start checking on the lasagna around 45 minutes into the process. Once the lasagna looks bubbly and cooked throughout, remove the foil and cook until the cheese becomes lightly browned.
14. Cut and serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.

I love to pair lasagna with a chianti. It just feels so deliciously Italian! This meal makes great leftovers and I often freeze individual slices after sealing them in food-saver bags.