Mamma's Famous Roman Lasagne
For many Italians the big holiday feast is Christmas Eve, so Christmas Day lunch and dinner is often light and simple–like a pot of Tortellini in Brodo (soup). This light lasagne is made without minced meat, but with the secret ingredient, mortadella. Minced and melted into one of only four layers to preserve the flavour of every ingredient and to keep it light–the mortadella gives the lasagne so much flavour, without the heaviness. And because Christmas is so busy, we saved some time using De Cecco oven ready sheets. Merry Christmas! Or Buon Natale! as we say back home.
Ingredients
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Tomato sauce
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1 liter Mutti strained tomatoes (Passata)
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3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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2 cloves garlic
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6 large fresh basil leaves
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Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
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225 g ricotta cheese
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Lasagne
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2 sheets De Cecco oven-ready lasagna sheets
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1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
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250 g fresh Santa Lucia Mozzarella
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100 g San Danielle Mortadella
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Please substitute brands mentioned for any of your choice.
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Method
SERVINGS: 6. PREP TIME: 30 MINS. COOK TIME: 55 MINS.
Tomato Sauce
- In a deep saucepan heat up olive oil and garlic.
- When garlic starts to sizzle throw in basil leaves and strained tomatoes.
- Turn to low to medium heat, partially cover stirring occasionally.
- Cook for 25 minutes, take off heat.
Lasagne
- In a large pot of salted boiling water cook 4 lasagna sheets at a time for 4 minutes. If you are using oven-ready sheets you don't need to do this step.
- When cooked lay cooked sheets on kitchen towel to dry.
- Spread some of the tomato sauce and ricotta on the bottom of a 9"x 13"x 1 1/2" oven safe baking dish, making sure bottom is well covered.
- Take three of the cooked lasagna sheets and lay next to each other covering the bottom of the baking dish.
- Spread more sauce to cover the pasta sheets.
- Sprinkle some grated parnigiano.
- Toss on the mozzarella bits, and then the minced mortadella.
- Next layer the 4 lasagne sheets at right angles to the previous layer, cutting the sheets to fit the dish and stagger the joins.
- Repeat the lasagne sheet, sauce, parmigiano, mozzarella, mortadella layer.
- Do the same with the last layer but without the mortadella on this one. (So your layers will be 3 lasagna sheets, 4 sheets, 3 sheets, last layer 4 sheets).
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place lasagne on the middle rack and cook for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes turn the oven to high grill for 2 minutes or until top gets crispy and cheese is golden brown, and edges have crisped up.
- Remember to check the lasagne, as cook times may vary with different stoves.
- Take out of oven and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes to give it time to firm up a bit and pieces of lasagna will keep shape. Ready to serve.
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Recipe created for the Italian Centre Shop by SugarLoveSpices
