Lasagna Pie With A Cheesy, Meaty Filling

Every family has its own long and noble lasagna tradition, because lasagna is just a fundamental part of being human. Some prefer their lasagna with white sauce, others are gonna whack you upside the head if there's no Italian sausage inside, and then you have your vegetable lasagna camp. Because there's so much debate over what kind of lasagna is the right kind, we figured we'd just turn it into a pie – this recipe has everything you want from your classic lasagna, but with an obvious, yet delicious twist!

Yield: 1 pie
Prep Time: 2–2½ hours
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Difficulty Level: Intermediate

You'll Need:

• 16 oz lasagna noodles
• 1 lb Italian sausage
• olive oil for frying
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 thyme sprigs
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 8 oz pasta sauce
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided
• 1 cup grated parmesan, divided
• 15 oz ricotta cheese + 1 handful basil leaves, chopped
• pepper to taste
• melted butter to brush over the pie lattice

Here's How:

1. Cook the lasagna noodles in salted water for about 5-7 minutes, cover them with aluminum foil so they don't dry out, and let them cool. Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and brown the Italian sausage. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and let everything cook a bit. Stir in the tomatoes and pasta sauce, season with salt and pepper, and let the sauce boil down.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and cut ⅔ of the cooked lasagna noodles in half diagonally to create triangles. Line a greased 9-inch pie dish with the triangle noodles, as shown in the video.

3. Spread half of the meat sauce over the lasagna noodles in the pie dish and sprinkle half of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese on top. Fold the chopped basil leaves into the ricotta cheese, spread it over the shredded cheese, and sprinkle pepper on top. Top with the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese, followed by the rest of the meat sauce.

4. Take the remaining cooked lasagna noodles, stick 2 together side by side, and cut them lengthwise into about ¾-inch thick strips.

5. Weave the cooked lasagna noodle strips together, place the lattice on top of the lasagna pie, and cut off any excess noodles. Brush melted butter over the pie lattice, transfer the pie dish to the oven, and cook for 45 minutes.

Mangia, mangia! What a trip to see lasagna take on this stone-cold classic pie form, but it makes for a great surprise! Watch out apple pie – there's a new favorite pie in town!

Get the recipe for the Lasagna Braid featured in the bonus video.