Lasagna with fettuccine, meatballs, tomatoes and cheese
8 servings
135 minutes
Lasagna with fettuccine, meatballs, tomatoes, and cheese is a unique blend of classic Italian flavors and an unusual approach to a traditional dish. Fettuccine adds a special texture different from the usual lasagna sheets, creating tender layers of pasta soaked in rich tomato sauce. Juicy meatballs made from aromatic minced meat add richness to the dish, while the cheese duo of ricotta and mozzarella provides softness and stretchiness, balancing the acidity of the tomatoes. The lasagna is baked to a golden crust, filling the kitchen with a warming aroma of home comfort. It's the perfect choice for family dinners and cozy evenings when you want to delight loved ones with a traditional yet unusual variation of Italian cuisine.
1
To make the tomato sauce, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and sauté finely chopped onion until golden (about 6 minutes). Then add crushed garlic (3 cloves), dried oregano, and sauté for 1 minute. After that, add crushed tomatoes (without juice), tomato paste, bay leaf, salt (1 teaspoon), and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened (30-35 minutes).
- Olive oil: 3 tablespoons
- Onion: 1 head
- Garlic: 5 clove
- Oregano: 0.5 tablespoon
- Tomatoes in their own juice: 1 jar
- Tomato paste: 1 tablespoon
- Bay leaf: 1 piece
- Salt: to taste
2
Meanwhile, soak the bread in milk for 10 minutes. Then add ground meat, garlic (2 cloves), grated pecorino cheese (half a cup), lightly beaten egg, parsley (1/4 cup), salt (1/2 teaspoon), and pepper (1/4 teaspoon) to the bowl with the bread. Mix by hand until homogeneous and shape small meatballs (1/2 teaspoon of filling per meatball). You should get about 135 pieces in total.
- White bread: 1.5 piece
- Milk: 0.3 glass
- Minced meat: 450 g
- Garlic: 5 clove
- Pecorino Romano cheese: 100 g
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
- Chopped parsley: 0.5 glass
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: 0.3 teaspoon
3
Heat vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and fry the meatballs in 5 batches. Fry each batch for 2 minutes and place on paper towels.
- Vegetable oil: 1 glass
4
Mix ricotta with 1 beaten egg, grated pecorino (half a cup), parsley (1/4 cup), and salt (1/4 teaspoon).
- Ricotta cheese: 450 g
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
- Pecorino Romano cheese: 100 g
- Chopped parsley: 0.5 glass
- Salt: to taste
5
Boil pasta in 6 liters of boiling water with 2 teaspoons of salt. Cook for 1 minute less than the package indicates, then drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water.
- Salt: to taste
- Fettuccine pasta: 400 g
6
In a glass or ceramic baking dish (about 26x18 cm), layer 2 cups of tomato sauce. On top, add 1/3 of the fettuccine, then all the meatballs, followed by another layer of tomato sauce (2 cups) and a third of the fettuccine. On the second layer of pasta, spread the entire mixture of ricotta with pecorino and parsley, then add the third layer of fettuccine and the remaining tomato sauce.
- Tomatoes in their own juice: 1 jar
- Fettuccine pasta: 400 g
- Minced meat: 450 g
- Ricotta cheese: 450 g
- Pecorino Romano cheese: 100 g
- Chopped parsley: 0.5 glass
7
Spread a layer of grated mozzarella evenly in the baking dish, cover with foil, and place in an oven preheated to 200 degrees. Bake on the middle rack for 10 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
- Mozzarella cheese: 225 g
8
Cool before serving (about 20 minutes).