The Spicy Secret To Ree Drummond's Lasagna

There's no dish that brings the family together quite like lasagna. It's the perfect pièce de résistance of a Sunday supper, especially when it's made with homemade, slow-cooked tomato sauce and served with fresh bread. It can also easily be customized with veggies, different types of cheese, and spices. Ree Drummond, the trendy rustic recipe developer and face behind The Pioneer Woman, suggested an even better way to upgrade classic lasagna on her website. Her recipe for The Best Lasagna Ever is made with hot breakfast sausage, in addition to the usual suspects like noodles, pasta sauce, ground beef, cottage cheese, and mozzarella. 

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The hot breakfast sausage gives this dish a slightly savory edge and a remarkably fatty mouthfeel. However, Drummond shares that if you're spice-averse, you may want to consider using a mild breakfast sausage, ground beef, or an Italian sausage. She cooks the breakfast sausage with the ground beef and some garlic until it's browned. Then, she spoons out some of the fat before adding in the canned tomatoes and the spices and simmering the mixture until it's thick and aromatic. Adding the meat to the sauce, rather than to the lasagna itself, is a great way to help the umami and salty flavors from the sausage permeate into every corner. Plus, you're guaranteed to get a bit of sausage in every bite. 

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It's getting hot in here

You don't just have to stick to using spicy sausage for a conventional lasagna recipe. Try swapping out the plain Italian pork sausage in this white lasagna recipe with the spicy breakfast sausage. The hot notes of the sausage will cut through the richness of the white sauce and make for a more balanced bite. The meat is also in good company with other umami-rich ingredients, like the ones in this mixed mushroom lasagna

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Regardless of what recipe you use it for, you're going to want to opt for ground sausage, rather than pre-made breakfast patties or links. It's easier to chop up the ground sausage when it's in minced form, rather than when it's fully processed. Moreover, you can also take more control over the flavors in your recipe by purchasing a block of breakfast sausage and adding your own seasonings to it. While ground sage and parsley will give it the traditional breakfast sausage flavor, red chili flakes and cayenne will offer the meat the spicy edge that your lasagna (and your breakfast sandwiches) are craving. 

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