Michael Musto’s lasagna recipe is true to his New York roots.
Life-long critic and New Yorker Michael Musto grew up in Bensonhurst, a residential neighborhood nestled deep in southwest Brooklyn. After graduating from Columbia College, he forged his voice through his Village Voice column La Dolce Musto, and continued to hone his voice in print and television. Today, the self-described cultural anthropologist stays true to his roots in the kitchen. “My mother was the best Italian American cook in the world, so I learned to make a lasagna as an homage to her,” he tells Family Style. “It's always a wow that fulfills and delights.”
Ingredients
- Two boxes of lasagna noodles
- 6 cups ricotta cheese
- Two cans of tomato sauce
- Onion (chopped)
- 5 cups mozzarella
- 2 green peppers (chopped)
- Olive oil (1 tbs)
- Grated parmesan (⅓ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1 egg
- Ground beef
- 2 tablespoons oregano
Instructions
- Boil two boxes of lasagna noodles in big pots and splash in a little olive oil, to prevent them from sticking to each other. When they’re done—not too hard, not too soft—drain the pot, carefully take out the noodles, and lay them out on paper towels.
- Put 6 cups of ricotta cheese in a bowl. Crack an egg into it, sprinkle in a bit of pepper, and stir.
- Chop up approximately 5 cups of mozzarella cheese into little cubes.
- In a big saucepan, mix in two parts canned tomato sauce to one part canned tomato paste. Add a splash of water to make it smoother.
- Separately, fry tiny meatballs from ground beef, as well as chopped onions and green peppers, in olive oil.
- Drain it and put all that into the saucepan(s). Add chopped garlic, as well as salt, oregano and any other seasonings you like. Boil and stir to satisfaction.
- In a large cooking tin, layer the gravy, then the noodles, then the ricotta cheese, and then the diced mozzarella. And then repeat, again and again, till you almost reach the top of the tin.
- Bake the lasagna at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. Make sure it’s firm—not runny—and then take it out and let it sit for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle some grated parmesan on top and maybe even some extra gravy (heated, of course) and enjoy. Feeds three people.