Patsy's Meatball Lasagna

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 2 1/4 lbs fresh lasagna sheets (4 by 8 inch )
• coarse salt
• 10 cups pasta sauce (homemade or store-bought)
• 3 cups meatballs (1/2 recipe meatballs for patsy)
• 1 1/3 cups freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaf, plus more for garnish
• 2 lbs sweet italian sausage, broiled and thinly sliced
• 2 lbs fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg

Recipe

• 1 bring a large pot of water to a boil; season with salt. add lasagna sheets and cook until pliable and al dente, 1 to 2 minutes. drain, and rinse under cold water.
• 2 preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• 3 pour 1 cup sauce into a shallow baking dish; set aside.
• 4 cut two sheets in half lengthwise to make four 2-by-8-inch sheets; set aside.
• 5 spread 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking dish.
• 6 dip half of a reserved cut sheet crosswise in the reserved sauce, and drape over a corner of the baking pan, leaving the sauce-covered end in the pan with the other half hanging over the edge.
• 7 repeat with remaining 3 cut sheets and corners.
• 8 line edges of pan in the same manner using full-size sheets dipped lengthwise.
• 9 finish lining the bottom of the pan with 2 full sheets.
• 10 in a medium bowl, toss to combine meatballs with 1/3 cup pecorino romano, and 1/4 cup basil; spread evenly in bottom of dish.
• 11 pour over 1 cup sauce, and cover with 2 lasagna sheets.
• 12 in the same bowl, toss sausages with 1/3 cup pecorino romano; spread evenly in baking dish.
• 13 pour over 1 cup sauce, and cover with 2 lasagna sheets.
• 14 in a medium bowl, combine mozzarella with 1/3 cup pecorino romano; spread evenly in baking dish.
• 15 pour over 1 cup sauce, and cover with 2 lasagna sheets.
• 16 in a medium bowl, combine remaining 1/3 cup pecorino romano with ricotta and egg; spread evenly in baking dish.
• 17 top with 1 cup sauce.
• 18 center pasta sheets on ricotta within 1/2-inch of the edge of dish. brush draped lasagna with sauce, and fold over to seal and enclose.
• 19 cover lasagna with a clean, damp kitchen towel.
• 20 double-wrap baking dish in aluminum foil.
• 21 place an ovenproof plate, upside down, in a large roasting pan; fill pan with 2 inches of hot water.
• 22 place lasagna on top of plate. bake until lasagna reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees to 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/2 hours to 1 hour 40 minutes.
• 23 remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes before serving.
• 24 garnish with remaining basil, and serve with remaining sauce, if desired.