Ree Drummond's Lasagna Gets A Spicy Kick From This Meat Swap

We all have our beloved family recipes that not only hold warm, nostalgic memories, but were handed down because they're just that good. One of Ree Drummond's all-time favorites is her mom's lasagna, which the celebrity chef known for her "Pioneer Woman" blog and TV show touts for its incredible flavor and basic, easy-to-find ingredients. Helping create that delicious flavor is a spicy kick that comes from swapping out some of the ground beef for hot breakfast sausage.

The lasagna is made with loose, uncooked hot breakfast sausage that you'll find at the supermarket in plastic rolls that themselves looks like large, plump sausages. Most brands don't disclose what spices they use, but it's likely their sausages' heat comes from red pepper flakes or cayenne. Those spices also contribute their own flavors in addition to their fiery punch. For Drummond's lasagna, a pound of sausage is browned with 1 ½ pounds of ground beef and garlic, then tomatoes and herbs are added to make the spicy sauce.

Adding the hot sausage to your multi-layered lasagna has other flavor bonuses besides its spice. The lasagna's meaty sauce is less one-note from being made with beef and pork instead of beef alone. Breakfast sausage's trademark sage taste, something not usually found in lasagna, also contributes to a more complex, interesting flavor. There's also traditionally a little sweetness in the sausage, which will enhance the tomato sauce's subtle sweet taste.

There are different hot breakfast sausage brands you can choose from to make Ree Drummond's lasagna. Some include Jimmy Dean's Hot Premium Pork Sausage (which Drummond uses), Bob Evans Zesty Hot Pork Sausage, and Smithfield's Hot Premium Sausage. Lean into both the heat and the sage with Parks Famous Flavor Very! Hot n' Sagey Pork Sausage. Uncooked hot breakfast sausage patties or links can also be used — just break up the patties or remove the meat from the link casings. 

You could also make the sausage meat yourself if you have extra time. Use a blend of ground pork, sage, black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes or cayenne, and a little bit of brown sugar for a touch of sweetness.

Even though breakfast sausage and dinner sausage taste different, this spicy lasagna would also work with hot Italian sausage substituted for some of the ground beef instead. That change puts the lasagna into a more traditional Italian style than breakfast sausage. You could carry that through by making the lasagna filling with either ricotta or béchamel instead of the cottage cheese Drummond uses. You could also stray a little further and take your lasagna to Mexico by doing the ground beef swap with spicy chorizo sausage. Make sure to use Mexican chorizo, which is different from the Spanish version, and try using Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese instead of mozzarella.