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Pizza Lasagna (aka: Pizzaña)

November 22, 2011 By Julie 20 Comments

I know what you’re probably saying.  It’s two days before Thanksgiving and this post has nothing to do with the upcoming food inspired holiday.  Well I say, “Au contraire my friend”.   It has more to do with the holidays than you think.  Allow me to indulge.

This recipe may not involve flying birds, fruity condiments, or mashed up tubers, but it’s got a super power that your other holiday fare simply can’t claim stake to.  The power to be made the week ahead and frozen until you’re ready to eat it.

And why, might you ask, is this an important feature to have if you’re a holiday food?  Let’s examine a bit deeper.  Say you’ve got uncle Bob flying in from a far off land.  He’s docked at the airport, you’ve picked him up and as he leans back in his car seat the first words out of his mouth are, “What time’s dinner?”  No panic for you because you have “said dinner” ready to slide into the oven the minute you get home.  And what happens when your cousin Mabel calls you up unexpectedly the day before Thanksgiving to let you know that she will be there 24 hours sooner than planned and would you mind?  Of course you don’t mind.  You have a dinner whipped up and ready to share.  Finally, we all know how busy the holidays can be.  After a day out shopping for Christmas presents, attending parties, and just generally being wined and dined (aren’t you the popular gal!) you’re craving a healthy homemade meal but don’t have the energy left to put it together.  Bam, pop in the pizza lasagna and grab another swig of libation while it bakes up all golden brown and delicious.

So now that I’ve completely convinced you that this pizzaña, as my kids so affectionately named it, is a tried and true holiday helper, I’m going to share a few additional tips to help your busy end of year schedule run a bit smoother.

  • I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, make ahead meals rock!  During the holidays, I always, always have a few homemade freezable meals put together and ready to go in case unexpected company shows up as well as for guests that come from afar and stay for an extended period.  Hosting is so much more enjoyable when all that’s required of you is to slide something delicious into the oven.
  • How about a tasty and fuss free way to enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers with family and friends?  Warm up a few Pepperidge Farm Stone Artisan Rolls, slice open and have your guests fill their sandwiches full of everything from turkey to cheese to cranberry to stuffing for a handheld second go at Thanksgiving mealtime bliss.
  • Take the time to set the table before the guests arrive.  The last hour of cooking for a large group is always hectic!  If you can have your table set before you even begin preparing the meal (the night before is what works for me), you’ll have one less task to worry about when the bird is finally pulled out and the holiday eating commences.

So what do you say?  Are we ready to make this holiday season one meal easier?  Let’s do this.

Start out by browning up a little Italian sausage in a large frying pan.  My boys are meat lovers when it comes to their savory pies, so they welcome this addition with open mouths and grumbling tummies.   When the sausage is cooked about halfway through, add in a few additional pizza toppings.  Gotta have my onions.  Pizza’s just not the same without them.

Cook the sausage the rest of the way through along with the mushrooms and onions and then add in a few greens.  I like to sneak them in wherever and whenever I can.

Turn the heat down and add in some pizza sauce and a cup of chicken broth.

Swivel your spoon around a few times to incorporate all the flavors and get ready to assemble your dinner time treasure.

Start with a spoonful or three of sauce across the bottom of your pan.  Notice how I used a one time use aluminum pan.  Easy clean up and meal storage that won’t affect your current pan stash for future meals.

Next up, layer noodles, followed by more sauce, followed by ricotta cheese and finished with a little Italian cheese goodness and heavy layer of pepperoni.  All good pizzas have pepperoni in the mix.  Period.

Repeat the layers and end with sauce, followed by cheese and finished with pepperoni.  It’s truly a beautiful sight to behold.  The only thing more beautiful….

Is when you pull it out of the oven and it’s ready to be eaten.  Mama mia does that look superb.

With the arrival of my family for the week, this blogger’s holiday has officially commenced, so I’ll be taking a much anticipated break. I plan to return bright eyed and bushy tailed on Monday.  May you and your family have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Print

Pizza Lasagna

Total Time: 2 hour 30 min

Ingredients:

1 Pound Italian Sausage
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
1 Onion, Diced
1 10 Oz. Package Sliced Mushrooms
4 Oz. Fresh Spinach, Roughly Chopped
1 Bunch Basil, Roughly Chopped
20 Oz. Pizza Sauce
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 15 Oz. Container Ricotta Cheese
12 Oz. Italian Cheese Mix (I used quattro formaggio from Trader Joes)
1 16 Oz. Package No Boil Lasagna Noodles

Directions:

In a large frying pan, cook up the Italian sausage.

when the sausage is cooked up about halfway add in the garlic, onion, and mushrooms.

Cook through and then drop in the spinach and basil. Allow to wilt.

Turn the heat down to low and add in the pizza sauce and the chicken broth.

To layer up the lasagna, start out with a spread of meat sauce across the bottom of your pan.

Add a layer of noodles followed by another layer of sauce, a few plops of ricotta spread across the top, a sprinkle of cheese, and a layer of pepperoni.

Repeat layers and finish with sauce, then cheese, then pepperoni. Sprinkle a dash of oregano across the top if desired.

Place in the oven and cook at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until top is bubbly and hot.

If freezing, cover with tin foil and freeze until ready to bake up.

When ready, heat oven to 350 degrees and place lasagna in the oven covered with foil over the top for 1 hour. After an hour, remove the foil and let the lasagna cook for another 45 minutes to an hour until the top is bubbly and hot.

Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes to set before cutting into it.

Note: I am working in conjunction with Pepperidge Farm and am being compensated for my time.  As always all opinions and recipes are my own.

 

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Comments

  1. Chrissy says

    November 22, 2011 at 6:53 pm

    What a fun dish! It combines my husband’s two favorite meals together in one! haha

    Reply
  2. malia says

    November 23, 2011 at 12:11 am

    Bella! Is that how you say beautiful in Italian? This looks bella!

    Reply
  3. Sanjeeta kk says

    November 23, 2011 at 7:41 am

    Wow..what a delightful dish it is…cheesy and exotic!

    Reply
  4. Jenna says

    November 23, 2011 at 11:26 am

    Enjoy your break, and happy Thanksgiving! I love the idea of freezing meals for holiday readiness–that’s so smart. I think I’ll take a page out of your book.

    Reply
  5. Katerina says

    November 23, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    I have told you before anything that contains the word pizza in it makes me drool. This pizzagna falls exactly into this category!

    Reply
  6. Mari says

    November 23, 2011 at 12:17 pm

    LOve it! It looks delicious, perfect to freeze for Sundays.

    Happy Thanksgiving 🙂

    Reply
  7. Rita says

    November 23, 2011 at 7:23 pm

    This has to be teh best lasagna ever; you can be sure i am saving this one; love that spinach in there.
    Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
    Rita

    Reply
  8. Priyanka says

    November 24, 2011 at 9:45 am

    First time here and loving it….
    Loved the way u wrote abt the recipe…..And its a beautiful dish with all the colors

    Reply
  9. Rach says

    November 24, 2011 at 2:06 pm

    Oh wow, that looks delicious!

    Reply
  10. 5 Star foodie says

    November 24, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    I love the idea of “pizzana”! Yummy for sure! happy thanksgiving!

    Reply
  11. grace says

    November 25, 2011 at 9:43 am

    i like the name, i like the method, i like the flavors–win!

    Reply
  12. cooking rookie says

    November 26, 2011 at 7:23 pm

    Great idea 🙂 and great photo!

    Reply
  13. malia says

    November 27, 2011 at 10:56 am

    My kids would FLIP for this… ok the husband too! Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving! xo

    Reply
  14. anne Alesauskas says

    November 27, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    I love made ahead meals as well, we are so smart aren’t we?? hope ou had a wonderful holiday with your family! anne

    Reply
  15. Monet says

    November 27, 2011 at 10:05 pm

    Make ahead meals are so important during the holidays! This looks delicious, as always, and your words make me smile, yet again. I hope you have a blessed week and a wonderful season of joy and food and fun.

    Reply
  16. Ameena says

    December 1, 2011 at 11:28 am

    What a fabulous idea! This is totally reminding me of the spaghetti pie my mom used to make…except this looks even cheesier and easier!

    Thanks for sharing. Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving by the way!

    Reply
  17. Ana says

    December 2, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    Pizza + lasagna = count me in! Two of my favorite dishes! 🙂

    xo, Ana

    Reply
  18. Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum says

    December 8, 2011 at 8:37 am

    My husband would love this. And who am I kidding – I would love it, too! Looks awesome!

    Reply
  19. Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says

    January 2, 2012 at 2:32 am

    A perfect midweek delicious and quick meal. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Recipe Roundup August 2012 « A Gaming Girl's Take on Life says:
    August 15, 2012 at 7:05 pm

    […] Pizza Lasagna (aka: Pizzaña) (Mommie cooks) – I wonder if I can get Daddy to eat this. Like this:LikeBe the first to like this. This entry was posted in recipes and tagged recipe. […]

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