This southern Italian lasagna recipe also called lasagna di Carnevale, is a classic dish from Naples served on Fat Tuesday (Martedi grasso). It is a lavish meal traditionally served the day before Lent begins. While the traditional lasagna recipe from Northern Italy is made with Bolognese sauce and white sauce bechamel, this Lasagna alla Napoletana is made with a tomato meat sauce ragu mixed with ricotta cheese and filled with small fried meatballs, mozzarella cheese and hard-boiled eggs.
This is an authentic lasagna recipe from southern Italy, and while the details can vary from family to family, it always has a base of a meat ragu, ricotta cheese and is filled with meatballs.
The ragù alla napoletana can be made with different cuts of beef or pork, but only the tomato sauce is used in the lasagna; the meat can be eaten separately the next day.
This authentic Italian lasagna is a labor of love.
You must prepare the ragu and the meatballs first, then make the lasagna.
However, it is worth all the effort as it is delicious, very fulfilling, and will feed the entire family for days.
A similar filling is often used in southern Italian cuisine; for example, you can also use it in different recipes like the Italian mashed potato pie Gateau or the Eggplant parmigiana.
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Ingredients
For the ragu
The ragu is made by simmering the meat in tomato sauce for a long time. However, only the tomato sauce is used for the lasagna, while the meat can be eaten the following day separately.
- diced carrot, stalk of celery and onion to make a soffritto
- sausages
- pork ribs
- beef shank or round or chuck
- red wine optional
- Tomato sauce: you can check out the Italian homemade tomato sauce. As this lasagna doesn't use bechamel sauce; you need a large amount of tomato sauce to keep it creamy
- salt
- extra virgin olive oil
Meatballs
The little meatballs should be very small to keep the lasagna layers leveled
- lean ground beef
- stale bread
- milk
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese)
- egg
- salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Lasagna
Once the ragu and the meatballs are done, you can proceed to layer the lasagna
- fresh lasagna sheets
- ricotta
- mozzarella block
- freshly grated Parmesan
- boiled eggs
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Making the ragu
To make this ragu I use a pressure cooker. If you use a regular pan you will have to simmer it for 2 hours
Dice the carrot, celery and onion
Stir fry with some extra virgin olive oil to make a soffritto
Add the pork rib, the sausage and the beef shank
Stir with a wooden spoon until the meat is seared
Add some red wine and let it evaporate
Season with salt and add the tomato sauce
Let the ragu cook for 35 minutes in the pressure cooker
Remove the meat from the ragu
Hint: if you don't have a pressure cooker, let it simmer at low heat for 2 hours
Pour the ragu into a large bowl and let it cool down at room temperature
Making the little meatballs
Soak the stale bread in milk for an hour
Drain the excess milk
Add to the bread the minced meat, egg, Parmesan cheese and salt
Mix with your hand until they are combined
Roll in the palms of your hands a small piece of the mixture
Make small meatballs 0.5 in - 1 cm diameter
Lay them over a tray
Heat some vegetable oil for deep frying (you can use a deep fryer)
Fry the meatballs
Remove from the oil
Place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil
Preparing the ingredients
Prepare the rest of the ingredients you need to layer the lasagna.
Hard boil the eggs
Remove the shell
Slice them very thinly with an egg slicer
Cut the mozzarella into thin slices, I use the egg slicer for the mozzarella as well
In a bowl, add some ragu to the ricotta
Work it with a fork to loosen it up
Composing the lasagna
Place all the ingredients around the lasagna baking dish
Start spreading some ragu at the base of the baking dish
Place the first layer of pasta (I do no boil lasagna noodles)
With a spoon, spread some ricotta cheese mixture over the lasagna pasta sheets
Hint: I use fresh lasagna sheets and do not boil it before making the lasagna. I use a large amount of tomato sauce so the lasagna cooks in it
Then spread the ragu sauce
Place some meatballs
In between the meatballs, place some slices of boiled egg and mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese
Cover with the next layer of lasagna sheets
Keep building the layers until all the pasta sheets are use
On the top layer, pour the remaining sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180 C for 30 minutes
Serve warm
How to serve it
This Lasagna di Carnevale is a complete meal containing plenty of proteins and vegetables.
We do not serve side dishes in Italy with pasta or Lasagne al forno.
However, you can serve a salad as a starter or a bruschetta with Caprese or mushrooms
For dessert, as this lasagna is served at Carnival, you can serve it with the classic Italian Carnival desserts: fried Italian donuts Graffe di Carnevale or Chiacchiere.
Which cut of beef is best for ragu
The best cuts of beef to use in the stew are the cheaper cuts, usually well-worked muscles.
Because they worked a lot, they are lean and tough but with a lot of connective tissues.
Those tissues melt when cooked for a long time forming thick creamy gelatin.
In the chart below you can see where those cuts are located. They are called:
- 8 & 9 Shank in Italian Campanello or Muscolo, in French Jarret, Gîte
- 10 & 11 Round in Italian Girello or Controgirello, in French Semelle, Jumeau
- 12 Chuck in Italian Giovarro or Collo, in French Collier
If you want to know more about the difference among those cuts you can read an interesting article on Seriouseats.com : Stew Science: How to Choose the Best Cuts for Beef Stew.
Are you interested in knowing more about cuts of beef and their names also in French and Italian? You can find more information in the article: Cuts of Beef for Barbecuing
Variations
There are many lasagna variations in Italy; you can check out the easy no-boil lasagna recipe made with dry noodles, ragu and bechamel.
I will publish more types of lasagna in the coming days.
Equipment
To simplify this lasagna recipe, I use a pressure cooker to make the ragu and a deep fryer to fry the meatballs.
However, if you do not have a pressure cooker you can simmer the rage for 2 hours in a regular large pot.
You can deep fry the meatballs in a regular pot.
I use an egg timer for boiling eggs that change the color based on how well the eggs are done.
To slice the eggs and the mozzarella into very thin slices I use an egg slicer stainless steel
Storage
This lasagna is better eaten fresh the same day; however, it stores well for two days in the fridge in an airtight container.
If you have leftovers you can freeze them, as long as the ingredients were not previously frozen.
It is best not to fully cook again a frozen lasagna.
Let it defrost in the fridge overnight and place it in a hot oven covered with aluminum foil for 10 minutes
Top tips
- This is a long recipe to make, you can prepare the ragu and the meatballs the day before
- Remove the meat from the ragu and only use the sauce for the lasagna. You can eat the meat separately the next day
- It is best not to freeze it. Do freeze it if you have leftovers, but only if the ingredients were not previously frozen
- I use fresh lasagna sheets and do not boil them before making the lasagna. I use a large amount of tomato sauce, so the lasagna cooks in it
FAQ
Northern lasagna is made with Bolognese ragu and Bechamel white sauce, while southern lasagna is many with Neapolitan ragu, meatballs, ricotta and boiled eggs
The lasagna in the north of Italy are made with bechamel, the one from southern Italy is made with ricotta. Both delicious!
The authentic Italian lasagna is not made with cottage cheese, either ricotta or bechamel.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Lasagne di Carnevale:
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📋Southern Italian Lasagna Recipe (Lasagna di Carnevale)
Ingredients (Commissions Earned)
For the ragu
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 stalk of celery diced
- 1 onion diced
- 3.5 oz sausages
- 9 oz pork ribs
- 5 oz beef shank or Round or Chuck
- ½ cup red wine optional
- 3.3 lb homemade tomato sauce
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Meatballs
- 6 oz lean minced beef
- 2 oz stale bread
- 1 cup milk
- 3 oz freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Lasagna
- 9 oz fresh lasagna sheets
- 9 oz ricotta
- 7 oz mozzarella block
- 4 oz freshly grated Parmesan
- 2 boiled eggs
Equipment (Commissions Earned)
- Pressure Cooker optional
- Deep Fryer optional
Instructions
Making the ragu
- Dice the carrot, celery and onion1 carrot diced, 1 stalk of celery diced, 1 onion diced
- Stir fry with some extra virgin olive oil to make a soffritto3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Add the pork rib, the sausage and the beef shank3.5 oz sausages, 9 oz pork ribs, 5 oz beef shank
- Stir with a wooden spoon until the meat is seared
- Add some red wine and let it evaporate½ cup red wine
- Season with salt and add the tomato sauce2 teaspoon salt, 3.3 lb homemade tomato sauce
- Let the ragu cook for 35 minutes in the pressure cooker
- If you don't have a pressure cooker, let it simmer at low heat for 2 hours
- Remove the meat from the ragu
- Pour the ragu into a large bowl and let it cool down at room temperature
Making the little meatballs
- Soak the stale bread in milk for an hour2 oz stale bread, 1 cup milk
- Drain the excess milk
- Add to the bread the minced meat, egg, Parmesan cheese and salt6 oz lean minced beef, 3 oz freshly grated Parmesan, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt
- Mix with your hand until they are combined
- Roll in the palms of your hands a small piece of the mixture
- Make small meatballs 0.5 in - 1 cm diameter
- Lay the meatballs over a tray
- Heat some vegetable oil for deep fryingvegetable oil for frying
- Fry the meatballs
- Remove from the oil
- Place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil
Preparing the ingredients
- Hard boil the eggs2 boiled eggs
- Remove the shell
- Slice them very thinly with an egg slicer
- Cut the mozzarella into thin slices, I use the egg slicer for the mozzarella as well7 oz mozzarella block
- In a bowl, add some ragu to the ricotta9 oz ricotta
- Work it with a fork to loosen it up
Composing the lasagna
- Place all the ingredients around the lasagna baking dish
- Start spreading some ragu at the base of the baking dish
- Place the first layer of pasta (I do not boil lasagna noodles)9 oz fresh lasagna sheets
- With a spoon, spread some ricotta cheese mixture over the lasagna pasta sheets
- Then spread the ragu sauce
- Place some meatballs
- In between the meatballs, place some slices of boiled egg and mozzarella cheese
- Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese4 oz freshly grated Parmesan
- Cover with the next layer of lasagna sheets
- Keep building the layers until all the pasta sheets are use
- On the top layer, pour the remaining sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese
- Bake in a hot oven at 355 F - 180 C for 30 minutes
- Serve warm
Video
Notes
- This is a long recipe to make, you can prepare the ragu and the meatballs the day before
- Remove the meat from the ragu and only use the sauce for the lasagna. You can eat the meat separately the next day
- It is best not to freeze it. Do freeze it if you have leftovers, but only if the ingredients were not previously frozen
- I use fresh lasagna sheets and do not boil them before making the lasagna. I use a large amount of tomato sauce, so the lasagna cooks in it
Nutrition
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