This recipe is a bit of a departure for Pasta Grammar, as it is in no way a "traditional" Italian recipe. Rather, this is the personal family recipe of Eva's father, Turi. The result is, by lasagna standards, pretty simple to make and falls somewhere between the Bolognese and Neapolitan styles.
The recipe uses fresh pasta, which you can learn the basics of making here. For in-depth instruction, check out our Homemade Pasta Guide!
Watch the Pasta Grammar video where we make this recipe here:
Makes a 1.5-quart lasagna.
For this recipe, you will need:
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 stalk celery, diced
- 1/3 large carrot, diced
- 1/4 white onion, diced
- 8 oz. (225g) ground pork
- Salt
- Fresh black pepper
- 1/2 cup (120ml) white wine
- 1 1/2 cup (460g) tomato purée
- 1 tbsp (15g) tomato paste
- 3 servings fresh egg pasta dough (300g flour/3 eggs)
- 3 hardboiled eggs, sliced
- 6 oz. (170g) chopped mozzarella, or to taste
- 3.5 oz. (100g) soppressata salami, or to taste
- Pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for grating
Begin by making the ragù. Bring the olive oil up to medium temperature in a medium pot and add the celery, carrot and onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion is tender and slightly transparent.
Add the ground pork. Stir and break up the meat until it is finely crumbled and browned. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then add the wine. Lower the heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the smell of alcohol has dissipated.
Stir in the tomato paste, tomato purée, and 3/4 cup (175ml) water. Bring to a simmer again and cook, partially covered, for 2-3 hours or until the ragù thickens into a sauce. As it nears completion, salt it to taste. Turn off the heat and set aside.
While the ragù cooks, prepare the pasta. Working in batches, roll out 3 servings of fresh pasta dough (see how to make it here) into thin, rectangular sheets. You can roll it by hand with a rolling pin or with a pasta machine. Feel free to cut the rectangles into a size that conveniently fits in your baking dish of choice, but don't worry about being too precise as you can always cut pieces smaller later. We recommend cutting pieces about 12x6-inches for maximum convenience while boiling. Lay the rectangles on a clean towel and liberally dust them with flour if they overlap.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it generously. Beside it, set up a large bowl filled with cold water. Working with one or two pieces at a time, drop the pasta sheets into the boiling water and cook them for thirty seconds. Carefully remove them with tongs and dip them in the cold water before laying on a clean towel. This time, be sure not to let the sheets overlap as they will irrevocably stick together.
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
For our lasagna, we used a 1.5-quart loaf dish but feel free to adapt to the dish of your choice.
Spread a thin layer of ragù in the bottom of the dish. Cover this with a layer of pasta. Cut smaller pieces of the pasta sheets in order to fill any holes or gaps. Top this with a thick layer of ragù, slices of salami, slices of hardboiled egg, and chopped mozzarella to taste. Finish with a grating of pecorino or Parmigiano cheese and cover with another layer of pasta.
Repeat these steps until the lasagna is layered up to the brim of the dish, finishing with a final layer of ragù and grated cheese.
Cover the lasagna in aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake a further 10 minutes, or until the top becomes slightly browned and crispy. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Buon appetito!