HOLIDAY LASAGNA

Ingredients

Preparation

For the meatballs and sauce

1. In a large bowl, combine the ground meats, oregano, parsley, salt, black pepper, Parmesan, eggs, milk, and breadcrumbs. Lightly coat your hands with olive oil and shape the mixture into mini meatballs, about the size of an olive. You should have approximately 150 to 200 mini meatballs.
2. In a large pot, bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
3. Add the mini meatballs to the sauce and simmer slowly, covered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooked, set aside.

For the fresh pasta dough

1. On a clean work surface, add the semolina and form a well in the centre. Place the 4 eggs and oil in the centre. With the fingers, combine all the ingredients, working in a circular motion, making sure all the ingredients are well combined. Add water, if necessary. Knead the dough into a smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
2. Cut the dough into ½-inch-thick slices and flatten each piece slightly with your hands. Starting with the widest setting, pass each piece through a pasta machine, gradually reducing the thickness with each pass until you reach the thinnest setting. The dough should be very thin. Cut the pasta sheets to fit a 16½ x 10½-inch baking dish.
3. Place a clean tablecloth on a table. Flour generously and place each thin sheet of lasagna on the tablecloth, making sure not to overlap the pasta sheets.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta sheets, no more than 4 at a time, for about 20 seconds only—they will finish cooking in the oven. Transfer the cooked sheets to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, remove them from the water and dry them with a clean kitchen towel. Set aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.

To assemble

1. Butter a baking dish generously. Cover the bottom of the dish with sauce only (no meatballs). Place lasagna sheets over the sauce to cover the surface. Add sauce with meatballs to cover the lasagna sheets. Add some of the chopped eggs, mozzarella, and Parmesan, covering the surface evenly. Repeat this step to reach 6 layers of lasagna, finishing with a final layer of sauce, eggs, mozzarella, and Parmesan.
2. Bake the lasagna for 30 minutes until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling.
3. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Buon appetito!

FAQ

1. Can I use no-boil lasagna noodles instead of making fresh pasta?
   
   Yes! To save time, you can use no-boil lasagna noodles instead of making fresh pasta. Since they absorb quite a bit of liquid while baking, make sure each layer is generously covered with sauce. You can also add a little water to the empty sauce jars, close them, and give them a good shake to loosen any remaining sauce before adding it to the lasagna. You may need to increase the baking time slightly—continue baking until the noodles are tender.
2. How can I make sure my mini meatballs stay tender?
   
   Avoid overmixing the meat mixture, as this can make the meatballs tough. Mix the ingredients just until combined, then shape the meatballs gently. Lightly oiling your hands will make the process easier, and keeping the meatballs roughly the same size will help them cook evenly.
3. How thin should the fresh pasta sheets be?
   
   The pasta sheets should be thin enough that you can faintly see your hand through them when you hold them up to the light, but not so thin that they become fragile or tear easily. The goal is a delicate sheet that is still sturdy enough to handle, boil, and layer into the lasagna.
4. Can I prepare parts of the recipe ahead of time?
   
   Yes! The sauce and mini meatballs can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also hard-boil the eggs and grate the cheeses ahead of time. For the best texture, however, we recommend making and cooking the fresh pasta sheets on the day you assemble the lasagna.
5. Why should I let the lasagna rest before serving?
   
   Letting the lasagna rest for about 15 minutes allows the layers to set and the sauce to thicken slightly. This makes it easier to cut and serve while still keeping all those delicious layers intact.