Ricotta Lasagne
This is my mom’s lasagne based on her Ripieno di Ricotta (ricotta filling), Sauce, and Pecorino Romano. Unlike most American lasagne, this does not have any chunks of meat or mozzarella. Ricotta is the star of the show here. Aside from the changes made in the filling, the only other change is freshly made Pasta all'Uovo rather than store-bought.
In Italy, the traditional way to make lasagne involves thinner pasta noodles, Ragu, bechamel sauce, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. I’ve made it and we were not at all crazy about it. We prefer ricotta and thicker noodles that don’t get mushy. That said, next time, I want to try making the noodles a little thinner and the layers of ricotta less thick. This recipe, though awesome, feels like you are eating a brick.
Pasta all’Uovo (default recipe) – 0.8 lb total weight
Ripieno di Ricotta (default recipe) scaled to 3.7 lb of ricotta
Grated Pecorino Romano
1. Roll out the dough one setting thicker than you would when making fettuccine or spaghetti. This is to prevent the cooked noodles from being too mushy.
2. Boil the noodles for only 45-60 seconds and dry them between paper towels.
3. Coat the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a layer of tomato sauce and sprinkle a little Pecorino Romano.
4. Cover the sauce with pasta noodles. You’ll need to cut them to fit.
5. Add a layer of ricotta filling.
6. Coat top with some sauce and sprinkle a little Pecorino Romano.
7. Repeat steps 4-6 two more times, creating 3 layers of ricotta. For each new layer of pasta noodles, run the noodles in the opposite direction to the last layer of noodles.
8. Add a fourth layer of pasta noodles over the top. Coat with sauce so noodles aren’t exposed. Sprinkle a generous amount of Pecorino Romano.
9. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes covered with aluminum foil.
10. Bake at 350F for another 25 minutes uncovered. If the top starts getting overcooked, put the aluminum foil back on.
11. You may need to cook for additional time to get the inside cooked. Because there’s no uncooked meat in this, I normally use a meat thermometer to cook it until the inside is about 150F (rather than 165F). If it’s not cooked after 50 minutes, I will turn the oven up to 400F (with lasagne covered in aluminum foil) and cook until it reaches the 150F. It can sometimes take over an hour.
12. Let lasagne rest on the counter for 10-15 minutes before eating.
