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slice of Sicilian lasagna on spatula
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Sicilian Lasagna

Sicilian lasagna has several layers of deliciousness combining meat ragu with peas, creamy bechamel sauce, mozzarella and chopped hard-boiled eggs.  All perfectly balanced to create the perfect lasagna!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Sicilian-Italian
Keyword Sicilian lasagna with ragu with peas bechamel and hard boiled eggs, Sicilian style lasagna with hard boiled eggs
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 6 -8 servings
Calories 911kcal

Ingredients

For the ragu with peas

  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 1 carrot finely diced
  • 1 stalk celery finely diced
  • 3 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • pinch red pepper flakes optional
  • 500 grams ground meat (veal, beef and pork combined)
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 796 ml tomato passata (tomato purée)
  • 2 cups water or chicken stock
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen peas

For the bechamel sauce

  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • pinch nutmeg
  • salt to taste

For assembling

  • 325 grams lasagna sheets no boil
  • 3 large hard boiled eggs
  • 350 grams mozzarella cubed (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 4 tbsp. Parmigiano cheese grated

Instructions

Prepare the ragu with peas:

  • In a large skillet or sauce pan, sauté a finely diced onion, carrot, celery stalk and a pinch of salt until golden, about 10 minutes.
  • Stir in minced garlic cloves and red pepper flakes (optional) and cook for 1 minute. Stir in ground meat trio (beef, veal and pork) and cook, stirring and breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
  • Deglaze with red wine and cook until it evaporates. Pour in 1 jar of tomato passata. Pour 2 cups of water or chicken stock in the bottle, swirl it around to gather up all the sauce and pour back into the pan.
  • Add bay leaves, salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook partially covered about 1 hour.
  • Stir in green peas and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Prepare the bechamel sauce:

  • While the sauce is simmering prepare the bechamel sauce.
  • Melt butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Do not allow it to brown. 
  • Whisk in flour until it forms a thick paste. Slowly whisk in milk and stir.
  • Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add a pinch of nutmeg and salt, to taste. Set aside

Prepare remaining ingredients:

  • Hard boil 3 eggs. Let cool, peel and chop coarsely. Set aside in a bowl.
  • Cut mozzarella into cubes or grate it if you prefer.
  • Grate Parmigiano cheese.

Assemble the lasagna:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a rectangular lasagna pan: ladle enough sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Arrange sheets of lasagna over the sauce, breaking pieces if necessary to cover the entire surface.
  • Cover the lasagna sheets with ragu with peas. I add approximately 2 ladlefuls to each layer.
  • Drizzle bechamel sauce over the ragu with a spoon. Evenly sprinkle with cubed mozzarella, chopped hard-boiled eggs and a spoonful of grated Parmigiano cheese.
  • Repeat with 3 more layers of pasta adding hard-boiled eggs to each layer except the top layer.
  • Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and broil for a minute or two until the mozzarella is golden brown and bubbling. Serve hot.

Notes

Can Sicilian Lasagna be frozen?

Once the lasagna is assembled it can be frozen prior to baking. To bake, place the frozen lasagna in a 350 degrees F preheated oven for about 1 1/2 hours. Uncover only in the last 15 minutes of baking.
Can I use traditional lasagna sheets for this recipe?
Definitely! Continue simmering the ragu with peas for an additional 15 minutes. The sauce does not need to be as liquidy in order to cook the no-boil lasagna sheets. Homemade lasagna sheets may also be used in place of dry lasagna sheets.
Substitutions or possible add-ins:
  • Use 500 grams of only one type of ground meat (if you prefer) instead of combined beef, veal and pork trio.
  • The bechamel sauce may be replaced with ricotta. Add dollops of ricotta over each layer of pasta.
  • Add small cubes of prosciutto cotto to each layer.
  • If you dislike peas in your meat sauce, simply omit them!
Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients used and portion size.

Nutrition

Calories: 911kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 220mg | Sodium: 723mg | Potassium: 1255mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 3475IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 547mg | Iron: 6mg