Pepperoni Lasagna: An Instant Crowd Favorite!

Pepperoni Lasagna

My first memory of this recipe was the summer of ’85. My post-college roommate was making a big pan of the stuff for her then fiance. It took a little pleading, but I ate a piece.  Okay, I begged. I mean, really? It was a 9" x13" pan that felt like it weighed 10 lbs...one fiancé could not consume ALL of that! She eventually caved and gave me a sizable corner piece. It was scrumptious! And there was not a cottage cheese curd in sight. Ricotta! Where had you been all of my life? 

Her lasagna was filled with layers of ground beef, sautéed vegetables and three kinds of cheese. I committed her recipe and process to memory immediately and I’ve always received rave reviews from those I served this cheesy, noodlie casserole. 

Fast forward about four years and I'm a newlywed. On a grocery outing I ask my dearly beloved if he liked lasagna? "No, I hate lasagna," he said. I was crushed. Here I had a great recipe and I wasn't gonna get to show-off. 

Two years go by and I'm on another grocery outing and a major hankering for lasagna overtakes me. I've gotta have it! I purchase the ingredients, go home and make a big 9" x 13" pan of lasagna that will keep me in lunches for a week and a half. I don't mind. I finished just in time to take some to work that evening to eat on my dinner break. I left the rest on top of the counter to cool. About an hour into my shift, my husband calls. He's all excited by what I had made him for dinner! Said he had already eaten half the contents of the pan! Then he asks, "What is this stuff?" "That, my dear, is lasagna." Turns out he had experienced the goopy cottage cheese kind, too. Like me, he hadn't met ricotta.

This recipe isn't difficult. It is just time consuming. Like most casseroles, everything is pre-cooked, then mixed and baked together. After making this recipe a couple of times, you'll add your own special ingredients and customize it for your table. 

My roommate's version contained sliced mushrooms, bell pepper strips and black olives. The only veggie I sneak in on my family is sautéed spinach that I add to the ground meat layer.

Here is my take on her recipe. It's been a family favorite for over 20-years! Thanks roomie!!

Pepperoni Lasagna

Oven Temp: 350 degrees

Baking Time: 45-55 min.

• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked 3/4 done, drained, set aside.

• 1lb lean ground meat or Italian sausage browned with 2 cups chopped onion, seasoned with salt, black pepper, garlic.

•  2 jars or tall cans of your favorite spaghetti sauce, heated in a sauce pan.

• 1 large tub of Ricotta Cheese, mixed with 1 egg, 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, a little salt, pepper, garlic. Set aside.

• 1 pkg Hormel Sliced pepperoni

•  2-3 cups grated mozzarella 

Assembly:

• In the bottom of  a 9" x 13" pan, cover with a thin layer of sauce.

•  Add three lasagna noodles, followed by half the cooked ground meat, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and top with more sauce.

• Top the ground meat layer with three more noodles, a layer of sauce, next the ricotta mixture, then the pepperoni, more sauce, then cheese.

• Third layer is three noodles, sauce, cheese, ground meat, cheese, sauce.

• Top with remaining three noodles, generously cover with sauce and cheese.

• Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes. Remove and let set-up for at least 5-10 min. Before serving.

3/4 cooked lasagna noodles

Jazzed up spaghetti sauce

Ground meat cooked with onions

Ricotta mixture

Ready for the second tier

After adding ricotta

Then the pepperoni

Sauce, then cheese

Ready for the last tier

Cooked ground meat, sauce

Top completed with last of cheese and sauce

Parchment to prevent sticking to the foil

I put a piece of parchment paper on top, so that my cheese would not stick to the foil cover as the lasagna baked.

Unfortunately, the kids arrived home and began eating before I could snap a photo of the finished product. Oh well. 

Don't be scared off by all the steps and layers. You can do it in a snap! And the next thing you know, you'll be making this recipe for 20+ years, too!

Please let me know how yours turns out!

As the mixing bowl turns,

Donna ; - )