Smoked Sausage Lasagna

5 from 8 votes
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Smoked Sausage Lasagna is the ultimate comfort food, made with layers of smoked sausage and smoked tomato marinara sauce.

Smoked Sausage Lasagna in a large casserole dish
A great Sunday evening meal.

Smoked Lasagna is a great comfort food. It’s not only a great use for smoked marinara sauce, it also a meal that feeds a crowd, and makes an amazing house warming or meal train idea for new parents.

Looking for more comfort foods for the grill or smoker? You can check out our round up of great comfort food recipes.

Think about it. The love we all have for lasagna just got 100 times more incredible by adding some delicious smoked sausage and rich smoked tomato sauce.

Gift ideas for new parents or housewarming is smoked lasagna in a pan.
Making two batches is a great idea for any meal train.

Modifications

I make different variations on homemade lasagna every time I make it. This is a very versatile and customizable recipe. Ideas include, adding:

  • Sautéed Mushrooms
  • Zucchini
  • Spinach (4 cups goes a long way with this dish)
  • Spicy Pickled Peppers

If making gluten free, use the same technique with your favorite gluten free lasagna noodles.

The Day Before – Smoke Sausage and Tomatoes

If you’re making the Smoked Tomato Marinara Sauce: Go ahead and smoke the tomatoes and the sausage at the same time. And ideally just make both the day before you make the lasagna. Or time it so you can make the marinara sauce prior to constructing the lasagna.

  1. Prep your Italian sausage by breaking it up and placing it on a sheet pan. Or consider buying it in bulk versus in a sausage casing.
  2. Smoke sausage at 250 degrees F for 60 minutes, until the sausage reads 155 degrees at its thickest point. It will continue cooking in the lasagna too.
  3. Make your Smoked Tomato Marinara Sauce. You might want to make extra sauce, because it’s incredibly easy to just sneak spoonfuls of it and eat it alone like it’s soup. I’m speaking from experience here!
A large pot of tomato sauce
This sauce also works great as a pizza sauce.

Once that’s done, you can build your lasagna. If you are short on time you can make this in batches. The sausage and smoked tomato sauce can be made in advance and stored in the fridge. Even the smoked sausage lasagna itself can be assembled up to a day in advance and placed in the oven when it’s time to eat.

How to Make Lasagna

It’s all about the layering.

  1. Heat Sauce: In a large saucepan, heat up smoked sausage and smoked tomato sauce together.
  2. In a Medium Bowl: Combine the ricotta, egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, prep cheeses.
  3. Layer Ingredients: Spread some of the tomato sauce evenly on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread some of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Add 1/3 of the mozzarella, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the smoked tomato sauce.
  4. Repeat: With noodles, ricotta mix, cheeses, and sauce 2 more times. Cover with 3 noodles. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and sauce. Cover with foil.
  5. Bake Lasagna: About 40 minutes, then remove the foil and let it bake an additional 15 minutes to crisp up the exterior crust. Remove, and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
Smoked sausage lasagna in a casserole pan

Wine Pairing for Smoked Sausage Lasagna

I love a good Italian red for this smoked sausage lasagna. Montefalco Rosso from Umbria is always a great choice. Montefalco Rosso DOC is made with primarily Sangiovese grapes (which are widespread in the area) blended with Sagrantino (the most important grape of the region), to give it structure and character, and often a small amount of Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. They are like mini versions of Sagrantino di Montefalco, but great for everyday drinking as well as more affordable.

If you can’t find this wine, reach for your favorite Sangiovese, Barbera, or Zinfandel.

Want another great lasagna recipe? Check out our cookbook!

Other Smoked Tomato Recipe Ideas

*This recipe was originally published in February of 2017 and republished in October 2020 with updated photos and recipe details.


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Smoked Sausage Lasagna
5 from 8 votes

Smoked Lasagna Recipe With Sausage

Smoked sausage and smoked marinara sauce combined for a creative smoked lasagna recipe.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
To Smoked Sausage: 1 hour
Total: 2 hours
Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients 

For the smoked sausage:

  • 1 lb ground bulk hot Italian sausage

For the Lasagna:

  • 4 cups smoked marinara sauce
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 12 no-boil or oven ready lasagna noodles
  • 1 16-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 2 cups packed tight)

Instructions 

For the Sausage:

  • Preheat smoker to 225 degrees, using oak wood.
  • Place sausage spread out on a large foil-lined cookie sheet in small clumps.
  • Smoke for 60 minutes and remove. Look for a darker color on the exterior while still moist. It will continue cooking in the lasagna.

For the Lasagna:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1-tablespoon olive oil and the smoked sausage. Add 4 cups of the smoked tomato marinara sauce and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Mix together and let cook 5 minutes to combine.
  • In a medium bowl combine the ricotta, egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
  • Spread ½ cup of the tomato sauce evenly on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Layer with 3 lasagna noodles. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Add 1/3 of the mozzarella, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of the smoked tomato sauce.
  • Repeat with noodles, ricotta mix, cheeses, and sauce 2 more times. Cover with 3 noodles. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and sauce. Cover with foil.
  • Bake lasagna, covered with foil, for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake about 15 more minutes, until heated through and liquid is bubbly. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

You can use traditional boiled lasagna noodles too. Works great with either style. Just follow the directions to cook traditional noodles.
No boil are just super easy! One less step.
You can add veggies to this too. It works well with sautéed mushrooms or spinach. Just add the veggies to the layers.

Nutrition

Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 1066mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 726IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 287mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
To Smoked Sausage: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Comfort, Italian
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 403
Keyword: smoked italian sausage, smoked lasagna, smoked lasagna recipe, smoked sausage lasagna
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Vindulge

About Mary


I'm Mary, a wine/food/travel writer, Certified Sommelier, mom of twins, former vegetarian turned BBQ fanatic, runner, founder of Vindulge, and author of Fire + Wine cookbook. Thanks for stopping by!

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48 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is the best lasagna I’ve ever made, and my family absolutely loved it! I made the smoked marinara sauce first, and then the day before I made the lasagna I smoked the sausage. Wish I would have snapped a picture, but my sons dug in before I had a chance! We served it with Caesar salad and French bread. I love to cook for my family and I’m especially proud when they ask me to make something again! Thank you for helping me with my grilling/smoking skills!!!

    1. Oh yes, this would be a great first lasagna!!! It’s a pretty simple and straightforward process after smoking up the sausage!!

  2. Ooh, this looks amazing! Lasagna is one of my favorite dishes…love that you used smoked sausage too! A must-try!

  3. 5 stars
    Yummy infinity squared! =) Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous and inviting. I can almost smell the delicious aromas from the photographs. I have never had wine with Sangiovese grapes. This is going on my list. Thanks for all the mouth-watering recipes and wine pairings. Fabulous!

    1. Awe thanks 🙂
      Little tip, Chianti is also made from primarily sangiovese grapes. So if you’ve had Chianti from Italy then you’ve had sangiovese grapes and probably never even knew it!! Sangiovese is high in acidity, so makes it pair well with foods that are also high in acidity (like tomato sauce). Which is why Chianti is so great with a lot of traditional Italian cuisine 🙂

  4. Wow wow – you had me at “lasagna” – I love anything pasta but lasagna is one of my favorites and this looks wonderful!