Life in the fat lane deluxe lasagna

Heat a dutch oven over medium high with a tablespoon of olive oil, add about a cup of chopped onion and two tablespoons of finely chopped garlic and cook five to seven minutes until the onions are tender.

Add a pound of spicy Italian sausage with the casing removed, break it up and cook another five to seven minutes until cooked through.

Roughly chop the fresh basil and use it straight away before it oxidises.

Add one big can of crushed tomatoes, the basil, two teaspoons of sugar and two teaspoons of dried oregano.

Add three tablespoons of tomato paste, half a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and the bay leaves.

Cover and simmer on medium heat 15 minutes, stirring.

Salt the boiling water and cook 15 lasagna sheets eight to ten minutes at a medium boil.

Thaw the frozen chopped spinach, drain it in a colander and squeeze it dry.

Drain the lasagna sheets and hold them under cold water so they stop cooking.

Mix 30 ounces of ricotta with three quarters of a cup of Parmesan, the drained spinach, salt and pepper, then stir in two eggs.

Remove the bay leaves from the tomato sauce.

Spread half a cup of tomato sauce over the base of a 13 by nine glass pan.

Dry the noodles and lay five of them down, overlapping as needed.

Spread half the ricotta mix over the noodles, then two cups of grated mozzarella, then a cup and a half of tomato sauce.

Another five sheets, the remaining ricotta mix, another two cups of mozzarella and more sauce.

A last five sheets, the remaining sauce, the remaining cup of mozzarella and the remaining quarter cup of grated parm.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake another 40 to 50 minutes until bubbling.

Let it settle 15 to 20 minutes before cutting.