Neapolitan lasagna is a delicious baked pasta dish made with a rich rag and fresh mozzarella. It is a lasagna for when your regular lasagna just won’t do.

Lasagna is the king of pastas. There’s something magical about how the layers of pasta and sauce and cheese come together to make something so satisfying. Wonderful stuff.

So many wonderful types of lasagna

And there are lots of styles to choose from. Heavy to light and everything in between.

One of my faves is super simple. Delicate layers of the thinnest pasta kissed by a simple tomato sauce and a dusting of parmigiano. Nothing more than that. Try it sometime. Not flashy. But so good.

Lasagna bolognese is without a doubt the best known. A rich beef ragu and velvety béchamel. Wonderful stuff.

There’s the classic American Italian version. Heavy on the cheese. Yes please. I love them all.

Neapolitan lasagna – the one you need to check out

And then there’s Neapolitan lasagna. Not so well known. Maybe you’ve never heard of it? It’s in a class of its own. Time to try it out. Seriously.

It’s different. Not crazy different. But different. There’s no grated cheese. The sauce is not your every day sauce.

It’s brighter. Cleaner tasting. But loaded with that rich goodness you want. It’s in my top two lasagna recipes. Along with that tomato sauce and parmegiano version.

Neapolitan lasagna is a great alternative to your regular lasagna. Pork and Italian sausage meld beautifully with tomato and fresh mozzarella. - 1 Neapolitan lasagna is a great alternative to your regular lasagna. Pork and Italian sausage meld beautifully with tomato and fresh mozzarella. - 2 Neapolitan lasagna is a great alternative to your regular lasagna. Pork and Italian sausage meld beautifully with tomato and fresh mozzarella. - 3

neapolitan lasagna with fresh mozzarella.

Ingredients

  • 16 no-boil lasagna noodles preferably Italian
  • 1 batch neapolitan ragu - recipe link below
  • 1 lb fresh mozzarella (also known as fior di latte) cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
  • 3 cups parmigiano reggiano fresh grated

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350F. Do this before you start assembling the lasagna.

Assemble the lasagna

  • Spread 1/5 of the ragu in the bottom of the lasagna dish.
  • Cover the ragu with noodles.
  • Add the next 1/5 of the ragu onto the noodles.
  • Top the ragu with 1/3 of the fresh mozzarella and 1/4 of the parmigiano.
  • Layer the next row of lasagna noodles on top.
  • Repeat this whole process (1/5 of the ragu then the cheese and noodles) twice more for a total of 4 layers.
  • Spoon the remaining ragu over the top layer of noodles.
  • Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 of the parmigiana to cover.

Cook the lasagna

  • Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil.
  • Bake in your pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes (you remembered to pre-heat your oven, right?).
  • Remove the aluminum foil.
  • Bake, uncovered, for an additional 10 or 15 minutes.
  • Remove the lasagna and let rest 15 minutes. Serve.

Notes

Nutrition

Beef, mushrooms, white wine, cream and a bit of dijon mustard. Steak with mushroom cream sauce is a classic restaurant dish. Shallots lend a hint of sweetness countered by the bite of dijon. Nicely balanced against the earthiness of the mushrooms and steak.

There’s a few things to keep in mind. Cook the mushrooms before you cook the steak. Do it the other way around and you’re eating cold steak for dinner. Veal stock adds a nice complexity to the sauce. A richness. Chicken stock work but veal stock is better.

Pan-fried steak with a mushroom cream sauce. - 4

Be ready with your ingredients. You don’t have to move fast but you can’t move slow. Don’t crowd your pan. If you want to do 4 steaks use 2 pans. If you want to do 6 steaks find another recipe. Seriously. You will have problems. But for two (or 4) portions this recipe works. Well.

Pan fry your steaks and serve them with an earthy mushroom sauce brightened by shallots and dijon mustard - 5

steak with mushroom cream sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 steaks - striploin, boneless rib, top sirloin or tenderloin all work
  • 3 cups mushrooms sliced
  • 1/2 cup shallots minced
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 3/4 chicken (good) or veal stock (awesome)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3 sprigs thyme leaves removed from stalks
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • salt to taste

Instructions

The Mushrooms

  • Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large frying pan oven medium low heat.
  • Add the minced shallots and sweat until the shallots are translucent.
  • Turn up the heat to medium high and add the mushrooms. Fry the mushrooms, stirring constantly, until cooked. Pay attention - you don’t want your shallots to burn.
  • Season with salt.
  • Remove mushroom mixture from pan and wipe away any residual bits of shallot.

The steaks

  • Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper.
  • Return the pan to the stove and turn the heat to medium high, Add the remaining Tbsp oil.
  • Fry the steaks until cooked to your liking - around 2-3 minutes per side for medium-rare. You are looking for an internal temperature of 120-130F.
  • Remove steaks from pan. Tent with foil. Return pan to medium heat.
  • Add white wine and boil, stirring to dissolve any bits in the pan. Now add the stock and thyme leaves and boil until reduced by half.
  • Add the cream and dijon mustard and stir to combine.
  • Return the mushrooms to the pan along with any juices that have accumulated.
  • Add any juices that have accumulated from the steaks.
  • Cook until warmed through. If your steaks have cooled too much you can warm them quickly in the sauce.
  • Serve mushroom sauce under steaks.

Notes