Neapolitan lasagna is a dish that I grew up eating on special occasions. We often ate it as a first course on Thanksgiving or on Christmas Day. This is my favorite type of lasagna. Unlike Lasagna Bolognese, made with meat sauce and bechamel, the Neapolitan version is made with sausage, mini meatballs, ricotta and mozzarella. Some recipes will even add hard boiled eggs. But we didn't add that often, but the egg does give it great flavor.
This dish is great for the holidays. Just a few pointers…..make the sauce, meatballs and ricotta mixture the day before and refrigerate. Then the next day boil the lasagna, assemble and bake. Makes things so much easier
For this recipe I used BIO products. I love these products that are made in Italy. They are organic and are high quality. I highly recommend that you purchase them. I don't ever promote brands that I don’t believe in, and this one I love!
Ingredient below and full recipe on my website www.miciamammas.com
Neapolitan Style Lasagna (Serves 10)
For the Sauce
½ Cup Olive Oil
1 ½ Lbs. Sausage, out if the casing
15 Whole Garlic Cloves
⅛ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
3 (28 oz) Whole Canned Tomatoes, pureed using a hand blender
2 ¼ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Black Pepper
1 Pecorino Romano Cheese End
15 Fresh Basil Leaves, Chopped
For the Meatballs
½ Pound Ground Pork
¼ Pound Ground Beef
¼ Cup Plus 2 Tablespoons Grated Pecorino Romano
¼ Cup Breadcrumbs
1 Egg, Beaten
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
3 Garlic Cloves, grated
3 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped
½ Cup Olive Oil
Filling
4 Cups Ricotta
¼ Cup Chopped Parsley
1½ Cups Grated Pecorino Romano
2 Eggs, beaten
12 Ounces Mozzarella, cut into tiny cubes
1 3/4 lbs. (about 2 boxes) Lasagna Noodles
Topping
½ Cup Grated Pecorino
6 Ounces Mozzarella, cut into tiny cubes
Method
First the sauce. In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add in the sausage and cook. Be sure to break it apart using the side of your wooden spoon like taco meat. Once the sausage is cooked, remove it from the pot using a slotted spoon and drain on a piece of paper towel.
Next add in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook on a low flame until the garlic is fork tender (you might need to add in a little oil…use your judgement).
Add the sausage back to the pot.
Add in the whole canned tomatoes.
Then season with salt, pepper and the Pecorino Romano cheese end. Bring to a simmer and add in the basil. Let this summer while you prepare the other items (at least 40 minutes on low).
For the meatballs in a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, Pecorino, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, grated garlic, and fresh parsley. Roll into mini meatballs about the size of a half a teaspoon.
In a frying pan, heat a half cup of olive oil. Fry the meatballs in batches.
Boil the lasagna. Drain when al dente. Separate the pieces of lasagna so they do not stick together. I drape each piece over the edge of the pot.
In the meantime, make the filling. Combine the ricotta, parsley, grated Pecorino and eggs
.
Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large lasagna pan, (I use a 15 x 10 pan) begin to layer the lasagna.
First, you put sauce on the bottom of the pan. Then you put a single layer of the lasagna noodles, then sauce, the mozzarella, ricotta mixture and mini meatballs.
Continue to layer until all the ingredients are finished. Top the lasagna with some more sauce, grated pecorino and mozzarella.
Cover with aluminum foil and get it in the oven to bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for another 20 minutes until bubbling. Remove from the oven and let it settle for at least 10 minutes. Cut and serve.