SAUSAGE LASAGNA WITH GARDEN CHERRY TOMATO SAUCE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium high heat.  Add the sausage to the pan and good, breaking the meat up with a spatula into small pieces, about 4-5 minutes.  Add the onions and garlic to the pan and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes until the sausage is cooked through and broken up all over into small pieces.

Add the wine to the pan and cook for 2 minutes letting it reduce slightly.  Add the tomato sauce to the pan and stir to combine bringing it to a low boil.  Remove from heat.

Spread about ½ cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9” x 13” pan and top with 3 of the noodles.  Top with another 1 ½ cups of the sauce (try to distribute sausage pieces evenly each time you add sauce), followed by dollops of 1 ½ cups of the ricotta, 1 ½ cups of the mozzarella, and ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese.  Repeat these layers 2 more times.  Finish with the last 3 noodles, 1 ½ cups of the sauce, 1 ½ cups of the mozzarella, ¼ cup of the parmesan (no ricotta on the top layer).  Spread the cherry tomatoes, cut-side-down, evenly all over the top of the lasagna, nestled into the cheese.

Spray the dull side of a piece of foil with non-stick spray (the spray will keep the cheese from sticking to the foil while it bakes).  Cover the lasagna with the foil and bake for 50 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more until the top is golden brown and the noodles are tender when you pierce the center of the lasagna with a steak knife.

Tent with foil and let the lasagna rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.  Cut into wedges and garnish with chopped basil and more parmesan.