What’s tricky about lasagna is the balance: too much pasta, and it’s heavy; too little, and it’s just a glorified patty. Too much tomato sauce, and the pasta is soggy—you lose the al dente effect.
Here, I’m offering a slightly bold lasagna with lamb and spring onion, keeping some onion uncooked during the initial wave of cooking to maintain crunch and a touch of freshness.
Most importantly, it’s a lasagna without béchamel sauce—béchamel is a crime against lasagna.
For 4 quarantined persons with little to do, or 3 active people
For the pasta:
- 200g fine semolina
- 2 fresh eggs
For the filling:
- 300g medium-ground lamb
- 60g guanciale
- 250g crushed peeled tomatoes
- 1 small carrot (60g)
- 2 garlic cloves (10g)
- About 20 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 spring onion
- 4 large sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
- 10cl Merlot
- 5cl Amaretto
- 1 ball of mozzarella
I’ll spare you the details of making lasagna sheets—it’s the usual method. Knead the dough (use a mixer if you prefer), rest it for at least an hour, then divide into four portions and roll into sheets at thickness setting 3 on a standard manual pasta machine.
Now for the fun part—the filling:
Mix the minced lamb with the thyme leaves and half the coarsely chopped parsley.
Finely slice the carrot and brown it in a hot pan for 2–3 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
Add finely minced garlic and cook for one more minute.
Add the lamb and cook over high heat, breaking it apart, for 3–5 minutes until fully cooked but not dry.
When the lamb has almost no liquid left, deglaze with the Merlot, let it reduce for a minute, then deglaze again with the Amaretto. Cook for another minute, stirring well, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
Thinly slice the guanciale into fine strips.
Slice the spring onion into 3mm rounds and finely chop the remaining parsley.
Note: Do not pre-cook fresh pasta sheets. They’ll absorb excess moisture from the tomato pulp during baking.
In your lasagna dish, grease the bottom with a little olive oil and two tablespoons of tomato pulp.
Lay down your first sheet of pasta. Spread two tablespoons of tomato pulp and layer with:
1/3 of the lamb filling
1/3 of the remaining parsley
1/3 of the spring onion
1/3 of the guanciale
Repeat: Add another sheet of pasta, two tablespoons of tomato pulp, 1/3 of the filling, 1/3 of the parsley, 1/3 of the onion, and 1/3 of the guanciale.
Repeat one more time, following the same layering pattern.
Add the final sheet of pasta. Spread two more tablespoons of tomato pulp over it.
Finish by placing thin slices of mozzarella over the entire top sheet.
Bake in the oven at 150°C (300°F) for 25–30 minutes. Cut into four portions and serve hot on plain plates—the colors speak for themselves.
