Free-Form Sausage-and-Three-Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound lasagna noodles
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for tossing
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian veggie sausage
• 1 cup water
• 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 8 pieces
• 6 ounces Italian Fontina, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and transfer the noodles to a bowl of cold water and let stand for 2 minutes, then drain. Pat the noodles dry. Transfer to a bowl and toss with olive oil.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the veggie sausage, water, garlic and tomatoes with their juices and cook over moderate heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Simmer the sauce over moderate heat until thickened, about 12 minutes.
3. In a well-buttered, 9-by-13-inch ceramic baking dish, arrange 3 lasagna noodles in different directions in the dish, leaving about 2 inches of overhang. Spoon a scant 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce over each lasagna noodle and sprinkle with a little grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Set a piece of mozzarella and Fontina on each lasagna noodle and add a few chunks of sausage. Fold the overhanging lasagna noodles on top of the cheese and sausage. Repeat the process with the remaining lasagna noodles, tomato sauce, mozzarella, Fontina and sausage, sprinkling with a little more Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Brush the softened butter on any bare pasta and curly edges and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
4. Bake the lasagna on the top rack of the oven for 20 minutes, until the sauce starts to bubble. Raise the oven temperature to 450° and bake for about 7 minutes longer, until the top is richly browned. Let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes, then scatter the sliced basil on top, cut into squares and serve.

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