Smoked Lasagna with Italian Sausage, Prosciutto, and Ricotta

Sauce

1. The sauce can be made 1 day ahead which will increase its deliciousness. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown, breaking it up, for about 5 minutes. Add the prosciutto and cook for about 1 minute. Transfer it to a bowl.
2. Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil and sauté the onions, celery, garlic, oregano, and red pepper, until the onions are tender. Stir in the tomato paste, add the tomatoes in juice, basil and meat mixture. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Cheese Mixture

1. Mix the ricotta and 1 ½ cups mozzarella in a bowl. Add the egg and mix and season with salt and pepper.

Assembling and Cooking the Lasagna

1. Preheat your smoker or oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brush a 9x13 pan with olive oil and spread 1 cup sauce mixture on the bottom. Arrange 3 cooked noodles on top of that. Spread ¾ cup of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread 1 ½ cups of sauce on top. Repeat the layers 2 more times, ending with sauce. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese on top.
3. Heat your smoker or oven to 350 degrees. After your smoker is at temp cook the lasagna (indirect heat only) for about 30 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees to help make sure the cooking is even. Bake an additional 30 minutes, until the cheese is nice and melted.
4. If you want a bit less smoke flavor on the lasagna, you may choose to cover the smoked lasagna midway though the cook. We have not found this to be necessary if using a pellet smoker, however, if you are using an offset, drum, ceramic or other charcoal or wood burning smoker you may want to use the foil the first time, to keep the smoke flavor from being too strong.
5. At the conclusion of the cooking time remove the smoked lasagna from the smoker, and let it stand for about 10 minutes before serving.