91 year old Maria shares her lasagna recipe with Pasta Grannies!

ricotta cheese

🥗Healthier: cottage cheese

💰Cheaper: cream cheese

Cottage cheese lowers fat content while maintaining creaminess.

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is leaner, while ground pork is often less expensive.

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: provolone cheese

Part-skim mozzarella reduces fat, while provolone is usually cheaper.

Parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated Pecorino Romano

Nutritional yeast is dairy-free, while Pecorino is often more affordable.

Make the pasta by mixing 250 g of 00/plain flour with 110 g of eggs and 30 g of fresh spinach, then roll out and cut into sheets.

Prepare the ragù by sautéing 2 garlic cloves and 200 g of diced unsmoked pancetta until browned.

Add 1.5 kg of minced pork and cook until browned, then stir in 1 heaping tbsp of tomato paste and 400 g of passata.

Pour in 1.5 litres of beef stock, season with salt and pepper, and simmer until thickened.

For the béchamel, melt 30 g of butter, stir in 30 g of flour, and gradually whisk in 1/2 litre of whole milk until smooth and thickened; season with grated nutmeg.

Layer the pasta sheets with the ragù and béchamel in a baking dish, finishing with a layer of béchamel and sprinkle with 50 g of Parmigiano on top.

Bake until golden and bubbly.

Cooking Techniques

Spice Level:

Allergens