Broken Lasagna Pasta with Meat Sauce! A super easy way to enjoy lasagna without all the layering. If you have teens in the house, they can make this! Enjoy!
I saw this beautiful photo on Martha Stewart’s Instagram and knew I wanted to copy the lasagna technique. Martha’s recipe is a Pea Pesto Pasta recipe, where she mixes the cooked, broken lasagna noodles in a delicious pea pesto. This one is definitely on my list to try once the weather starts to warm up.
It’s still cold and I still need comfort food.
Broken Lasagna Pasta with Meat Sauce
This is brilliant if you ask me because you still get to use delicious lasagna noodles, still get a lasagna- like dish with all the flavor and you can make this dish in half the time. Don’t get me wrong, I still love lasagna. I love it so much.
This is simply an easier alternative for a weeknight. “Unexpected use for lasagna noodles.” as stated on Martha’s Instagram.
My recommendation is to follow the recipe card and make the sauce first. If you don’t read it and make the pasta first, I recommend drizzling some olive oil on the pasta, after you have drained it, to keep it from sticking together. You can also run and separate each piece under running water. Or, just throw it all in, use your tongs to toss everything up and just know that some of the pasta noodles will be stuck together. Either way, it’s still delicious and you can still get dinner on the table in about 45 minutes.
My dish was even more incredible because of the sausage that we used. Sweet Italian Sausage from Willow Creek Farms. Just look at those ingredients, it was delicious!
Broken Lasagna Pasta with Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 medium sized onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
- 1 (15.5 oz.) can tomato sauce or marinara sauce* + more if needed
- 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes I used fire roasted sweet and smoky
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb. curly lasagna noodles broken into 2-inch pieces
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Using a large, deep skillet or pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and let cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and mix together for about a minute. Add the ground beef and the sweet Italian sausage and cook until all of the meat is browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the fat from the pan.
- Add the tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, sugar and Italian seasoning and stir together until everything is combined. Bring everything to a boil, and then turn the heat low. Let simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- While your sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the broken lasagna pasta, a handful at a time. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, or until al dente. When the sauce is ready, add the cooked broken pasta directly into the pan and carefully toss together. Sprinkle on some fresh basil leaves, serve and enjoy!
Notes
