Overnight Miso-Braised Sausage + Chard Lasagne
 
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The miso in this recipe is subtle, but it adds an element of nutty savoriness to an otherwise absurdly simple tomato sauce. Married with the sweet, licoricey Thai basil, it's the perfect complement to fennel-rich Italian sausage and earthy chard.
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Makes: 12 small or 6 large servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb sweet Italian chicken sausage
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 1 large bunch swiss chard, leaves and stems separated
  • 1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
  • 1 small bunch fresh Thai basil leaves (about ½ cup)
  • heaping ¼ cup mellow white miso
  • ¾ lb low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
  • ⅓ lb asiago, shredded
  • 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • 9 no-boil lasagne noodles
  • light cooking oil for sautéing, such as avocado oil
  • black pepper
Instructions
  1. Remove sausage from casing. In a large pot or dutch oven, brown sausage and shallots in a little avocado oil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is deeply caramelized, about 15 mins.
  2. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, miso and basil in a food processor and pulse until miso is fully incorporated and basil is finely chopped.
  3. Shred mozzarella and asiago cheeses. Chop chard leaves into pieces and finely chop card stems.
  4. When sausage is browned, add chard stems and leaves. Reduce heat to medium, stir to combine, and sauté until leaves are wilted, 5 mins. Add tomato mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a bubble, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 mins.
  5. To assemble lasagna, spread a little of the tomato sauce mixture in the bottom of an 8x11 pan and layer as follows: - 3 noodles - ⅓ of the ricotta cheese - freshly grated nutmeg (conservative freshly grated sprinkle) - ⅓ each of the shredded cheeses - ½ the meat sauce - 3 noodles - ½ of the remaining ricotta cheese - nutmeg - ½ of the remaining shredded cheeses - remaining meat sauce - 3 noodles - remaining ricotta cheese - nutmeg - remaining shredded cheeses
  6. Allow to cool slightly, then cover tightly with foil and refrigerate at least six hours or overnight.
  7. When ready to bake: preheat oven to 350F. Bake casserole, covered, for 60 mins, or until filling is hot and cheese is bubbly. Remove foil and bake another 15-20 mins to brown cheese. (For an extra browned top, you can also broil the lasagne for a minute or two, keeping a very careful eye on it.) Allow to rest 15 mins before cutting into 12 pieces and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
I love the extra sweet, licoricey note that Thai basil lends to this dish, but Italian basil will absolutely do if that's what's convenient. And since the sauce is so simple, San Marzano tomatoes -- which have a sweet, almost concentrated tomato flavor -- are highly recommended. If you use a traditional canned tomato, you may want to add a couple pinches of sugar and/or a few tablespoons of tomato paste. Lastly: our kiddo has a mild egg allergy, so I've left the traditional egg out of the ricotta portion of the recipe. Most lasagne noodles, however, DO contain eggs. If you're looking to make this completely egg-free, be sure to choose an egg-free pasta, like these guys.
Recipe by the pig & quill at https://thepigandquill.com/overnight-miso-braised-sausage-chard-lasagne/