Sausage & Goat Cheese Lasagna / Beethoven String Quartet

Lasagna has been one of my favorite dishes since I was little. Every now and then, my Italian mother would indulge us by making her famous version - usually to celebrate a birthday, a satisfactory report card, or the occasional (but very appreciated) "just because." This particular recipe remains a favorite in our house. Adding goat cheese to the traditionally mild ricotta mixture brings the lasagna to a whole new level of cheesy perfection.

{The precise moment my husband announced that "something smells amazing." Needless to say, meat was involved}

The recipe is such a slam dunk as is that I barely make any modifications to it. I usually add crushed fennel seeds and red pepper flakes to the onion, garlic, and sausage mixture before finishing up the sauce.

{Simmering away}

Like many musical masterpieces, lasagna comes together by way of a divinely simple layering process. Though each layer - sauce, pasta, mozzarella, ricotta - is distinct on its own, they all come together to create one deliciously harmonious whole.

{1. Sauce}

{2. Pasta and 3. Mozzarella}

{4. Ricotta/goat cheese}

{Repeat layers 1. through 4... and top it all off with some extra parmesan cheese}

So for a relevant musical pairing: here's a bit of one of my favorite Beethoven string quartets. Like this lasagna, it begins with one layer and adds in the remaining three one by one - resulting in something perfectly satisfying and utterly complete. Enjoy!