Boil lasagna noodles until al dente. You’ll need roughly 15 noodles, but I usually boil a couple extra, just in case. While the lasagna noodles are boiling, pan fry the Italian sausage until golden brown, then pour the sauce mix in and let simmer. When the lasagna noodles are al dente, pour them out into a strainer and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking. Set them aside, and allow them to cool down a bit. While you’re waiting for the noodles to cool down, mix 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, the dry basil, salt, and Ricotta cheese together in a small bowl until well blended.

Preheat your oven to 375°.

Now it’s time to layer your lasagna. You’ll want to use a 9 x 9 x 2 baking dish for this recipe. Start with a layer of sauce in the bottom of your baking dish, so that the noodles have something to rest upon. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a stuck-on mess at the bottom of your dish.

Next, place 4-5 noodles on top of the sauce, so that the entire area is covered with noodles. Note – you will probably have to trim about 2 inches off of each noodle to get them to fit in the dish.

After you have layered the noodles, cover them with half of the Ricotta cheese mixture, then cover that with more sauce.

Next, you will want to place another 4-5 noodles on top of the sauce, in the opposite direction in which you placed the first layer of noodles.

Then, spread the remaining Ricotta cheese mixture on top.

Next, you’ll place 4-5 more noodles on top of that, in the opposite direction of your last layer of noodles, but in the same direction as your first layer of noodles. Notice in this step, we skipped the sauce and put the noodles directly on top of the cheese.

Next, pour the remaining sauce on top of the noodles. You may have a little extra sauce, but that’s ok. Simply pour it into a freezer bag, put it in your freezer, and use it for something else in the future.

Next, you’ll cover the lasagna with the remaining 1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. I suggest placing a large cookie sheet under the baking dish before placing it in the oven, just in case any sauce may spill over. After 30 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.