Lasagna is a staple in Italian cuisine and a popular comfort food. It’s a versatile dish that is filling, flavorful, and flexible enough to be adapted into a number of different styles, from meaty to creamy to vegetable-stuffed…and anything else you can dream up.
Dating back to ancient Rome and popularized in the picturesque city of Naples, lasagna combines the hallmarks of many Italian dishes, including noodles, several cheeses, and rich and hearty sauces.
One popular version is lasagna with ricotta cheese. Read on to find out more about how to make it.
Lasagna—sometimes spelled lasagne—is made of wide, flat ribbon-shaped pasta sheets that are normally pre-cooked and then baked in the oven between layers of sauce and ricotta cheese. It’s most frequently layered with other ingredients–commonly but not exclusively a mixture of sauce, vegetables, and some type of protein.
When you think about pairing pasta and sauces, it’s obvious what the workhorse lasagna noodles are good for: you can load them up with heavy sauces, layers of meat, cheese, and vegetables. Lasagna noodles let you stack pasta, with alternating layers of pasta, sauce, and filling.
Eggs help bind the ricotta cheese, but if you don’t have eggs on hand then it’s OK to omit them. Adding egg to ricotta cheese helps to bind the cheese for lasagna so that it doesn’t ooze out of the casserole when you cut it. Basically, the egg helps all the cheesy goodness stay intact.
Get Creative: Add Flavorful Extras
The possibilities for lasagna with ricotta cheese are limited only by your imagination. What are you in the mood for?
Some options:
- Ground beef and Italian sausage (like Nonna would make!)
- Vegetables—nearly anything goes. Spinach and ricotta is a popular version; a mix of roasted vegetables is another go-to.
- Seafood—a delicious spin on the traditional dish that includes crab, shrimp, and scallops.
- Chicken—think decadent chicken alfredo lasagna.
Cook Noodles if Needed
If you’re using noodles that need to be boiled, now’s the time to cook them. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, then cook the noodles for about 8-10 minutes.
Drain, then rinse under very cold water or drop the noodles into an ice bath to stop the cooking.
A Lasagna Recipe With Ricotta, Mozzarella & Egg : Italian Recipes
FAQ
Do you need to mix egg and ricotta for lasagna?
Can I use ricotta without egg?
Can I skip the egg in lasagna?
Why do Italians put eggs in lasagna?
Should you add egg to ricotta cheese in Lasagna?
Adding egg to ricotta cheese helps to bind the cheese for lasagna so that it doesn’t ooze out of the casserole when you cut it. Basically, the egg helps all the cheesy goodness stay intact. So what happens if you don’t put eggs in your lasagna? It’ll just be a bit runnier, but omitting the egg won’t affect the taste.
Can one eat lasagna?
Lasagna can be eaten, but we must know what the person needs, or better. If you seek weight loss, or control the consumption of pasta and cheese. If you are looking for weight loss, it is advisable to replace the layers of pasta with vegetables, such as zucchini or eggplant, helping to balance the nutritional value.
Do you put eggs in Lasagna?
Eggs help bind the ricotta cheese, but if you don’t have eggs on hand then it’s OK to omit them. Adding egg to ricotta cheese helps to bind the cheese for lasagna so that it doesn’t ooze out of the casserole when you cut it. Basically, the egg helps all the cheesy goodness stay intact. So what happens if you don’t put eggs in your lasagna?
Should you add egg to ricotta cheese?
However, there is often debate over whether or not to add egg to the ricotta mixture. Some recipes call for the addition of egg to the ricotta cheese mixture, while others do not. The purpose of adding egg is to create a firmer texture and more cohesive filling for the lasagna.