Raise your hand if you love making relatively simple, almost effortless, crowd pleasing meals. Imagine for a moment that almost everyone reading this blog post has raised their hand. Because whether you are hosting a dinner party for 6 or more, serving Sunday dinner for your family and/or friends, or have a household of weekend guests, this deeply satisfying, incredibly scrumptious, show stopping Paella Pan Lasagna is certain to get rave reviews. While it can also be served on a large, rimmed, heavy bottomed sheet pan, this is a great way to use the paella pan you take out only a couple times of the year. Or it's yet another way to justify the purchase of one (yes, I am a terrible influence).
Sheet Pan dinners have been riding the rage wave for more than six years now. They are simple to put together, don't require a lot of baby-sitting while they bake, feed a crowd, and make clean up a breeze. But within the last two years, sheet pan lasagna has become immensely popular. Thanks in large part to Italian food goddess Giada DiLaurentis. What is not to love about a layerless lasagna? When made on a sheet pan, it's texture is crispier. While less crispy when made in a paella pan, the depth of flavor and textures are phenomenal. It's possible you may never want to make the layered version of lasagna again.
While the recipe shared here was inspired by Giada's, it's not Giada's. In the notes section below, you will find a link to her recipe and can make the comparisons.
There are four kinds of cheese used in this Paella Pan Lasagna. Whole milk ricotta, whole milk mozzarella, fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano-Regianno. Whole milk cheeses have a richer flavor than their part-skim counterparts. I used my favorite jarred, store-bought marinara (Rao's) here but use your favorite or your homemade sauce. The Aleppo pepper, garlic, yellow onion, and spicy Italian sausage each add a layer of deliciousness and spice to the dish. Baby spinach is more tender than regular spinach and it cooks up quickly. One egg yolk mixed in the ricotta and spinach mixture helps to bind it and keep it from being runny.
The garlic, Aleppo pepper, and spinach are cooked in large skillet. Once cooled, drained and chopped, it's mixed in with the egg yolk and ricotta. The same skillet is used to cook the sausage and onions. That mixture is transferred to the paella pan and mixed with the marinara sauce, one half cup of reserved pasta water, one cup of grated mozzarella, and one-half cup of grated Parmigiano-Regianno. Once those ingredients are blended together, the al dente cooked pasta is mixed in.
Next come the cheese layers. First the spinach-ricotta mixture. I used a small ice cream scoop to dollop it on, but you could also use a large tablespoon.
Next comes one and half cups of freshly grated mozzarella and one cup of grated Parmigiano-Regianno. Lastly, an eight ounce ball of fresh mozzarella is broken up into pieces and spread on top. It's now ready to go into a preheated 425 degree (F) oven. Baking time is approximately 30 minutes. Note: If you make the lasagna early in the day and store it in the refrigerator, take out at least 45 minutes before putting in the oven. You don't want to put a cold pan into a very hot oven. Baking time may need to slightly increased.
Allow the Paella Pan Lasagna to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. Top with some julienned basil and lightly drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the top. Alternately, drizzle each plated serving with the olive oil. It's always a good idea to put out a bowl of grated Parmigiano-Regianno cheese out. Because when eating lasagna, there is no such thing as too much cheese.
All you need to complete this simple, hearty, impressive meal is a loaf of thickly cut homemade Artisan, Italian or French Bread, a large salad and some wine.
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This Paella Pan Lasagna allows you to savor the flavors of a classic lasagna, but without all of the labor involved in creating those perfect layers. This innovative twist of a beloved comfort food dish is certain to become a cherished, crowd pleasing favorite. Because what is not to love about a pasta dish oozing with cheese, richly flavored, and a snap to make?
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Recipe
Paella Pan Lasagna (or Sheet Pan Lasagna)
Serves 8
Ingredients
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 pound (453g) lasagna sheets (ruffled edges), broken into 2"-3" pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Aleppo Pepper flakes or Red Pepper flakes
5 ounces (142g) fresh baby spinach
1 cup (250g) whole milk ricotta
1 large egg yolk
20 ounces (567g) spicy Italian sausage, broken into pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
2 - 24 ounce jars of store bought marinara (highly recommend Rao's) - this is approximately 4 1/2 cups
1/2 cup pasta water
2 1/2 cups (325g) whole milk mozzarella, shredded and divided
1 1/2 cups (150g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Regianno, divided
8 ounce ball (225g) fresh mozzarella, broken up into pieces
Extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing
Fresh basil, julienned, for garnishing
Additional freshly grated Parmigiano-Regianno for serving
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F).
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil. When heated, add in the garlic cloves and Aleppo Pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
3. Add in the baby spinach and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt. Cook until the spinach has wilted. Remove mixture from the pan and into a strainer. Let the spinach mixture cool briefly. Transfer to a cutting board and chop cooked spinach.
4. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the ricotta and egg yolk. Mix in the chopped spinach mixture. Set aside.
5. Cook pasta for approximately 7-9 minutes or until al dente. Remove pasta from the water and drain. But reserve 12 cup of the pasta water.
6. In a large skillet, heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add in the sausage and cook for approximately 6-7 minutes or until beginning to brown.
7. Add in the diced onion and cook for another 7-9 minutes or until the sausage has cooked through and onions have softened.
8. Transfer the sausage/onion mixture to the paella pan (or sheet pan if using instead). Stir in the marinara sauce. Then add in the 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, cooked pasta, 1 cup grated mozzarella, and 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Regianno. Stir to combine.
9. Dollop large tablespoons of the ricotta/spinach mixture over the top.
10. Sprinkle on the remaining 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella and 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Regianno. Top with broken pieces of the fresh mozzarella.
11. Bake for 30 minutes.
12. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil.
13. Drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over each serving. Serve with some additional grated Parmigiano-regianno cheese in a bowl.
Notes: (1) Here's the link to Giada's recipe. (2) I used a 16" paella pan. If using a sheet pan instead, use an 11" x 17" or 12" x 18" rimmed, heavy bottomed sheet pan. (3) Instead of using jarred marinara sauce, you can use your homemade one. (4) Highly recommend grating your cheese versus buying bags of shredded cheese.