Neapolitan Lasagne
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This type of lasagne is very different from the usual variety from northern Italy. It's delicious – full of meatballs, cheese and eggs.
Course
Main Course
Cuisine 
Ingredients
Lasagna layers
- 300 g lasagna sheets
- 400 g mozzarella preferably fior di latte if available, but any fresh mozzarella would work
- 3 eggs for hard-boiling
- 400-450 g ricotta
- 5-6 tbsp Grana Padano cheese for layering and topping
Pork ragù
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 150 g pork ribs
- 1 Italian pork sausage like salsicce, removed from casing and crumbled
- 200 g lean beef
- 700 ml tomato passata
- 1 glass wine ideally a Primitivo or a Grillo
- Salt to taste
Meatballs
- 300 g minced pork meat or a mix of pork and beef
- 3 tbsp Grana Padano cheese
- 30 g breadcrumbs
- 1 egg
- Salt & pepper
- Vegetable or sunflower oil for frying
Instructions
Pork ragù
- In a large pot, sauté the finely chopped onion in the olive oil until translucent.
- Add the crumbled Italian sausage and lean beef. Cook until browned.
- Pour in the wine and allow it to evaporate for a few minutes.
- Stir in the tomato passata. Rinse the bottle with a glass of water and add it to the pot.
- Simmer on low heat for up to 4 hours. Adjust with salt as needed.
- The pork ribs and the beef are not needed for this recipe and can be served separately.
Meatballs
- Mix together the minced meat, Grana Padano, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and pepper.
- Form into small meatballs, about 2-3cm in diameter.
- Fry in hot oil until golden brown, then drain on paper towels.
Assemble
- Boil the eggs for 8-10 minutes until hard-boiled. Peel and cube them.
- Begin by spreading some ragù on the bottom of a baking dish.
- Place a layer of lasagna sheets on top.
- Spread a layer of ricotta, followed by slices of mozzarella, some meatballs, egg pieces, and a sprinkling of Grana Padano.
- Continue layering in this manner, finishing with a top layer of lasagna sheets.
- Pour over some more ragù, ensuring the sheets are covered. Sprinkle grana padano on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 40-50 minutes, or until the lasagna is bubbling and golden on top. If it's browning too quickly, you can cover it with some foil.
- Let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
The choice of meats can be varied according to personal preference, but it must involve pork for authenticity.
Pecorino or parmesan can be used instead of grana padano, and provola instead of mozzarella. Buffalo mozzarella should be avoided.
The lasagna sheets can be pre-cooked or used directly based on preference.
The hard-boiled eggs can be omitted if desired.
The lasagna tastes better when prepared a day in advance and reheated.