Meatball Lasagna
This recipe is inspired by the Meatball Lasagna made by Jon Favreau and Roy Choi in season 2 volume 4 of “The Chef Show” on Netflix. I watched them make their version of this Italian classic and had to make my own.
This is the perfect meal to accompany a great fresh loaf of rosemary focaccia.
This recipe makes one large casserole dish of lasagna.
Meatball Ingredients
2 tbsps fennel seeds (toasted and crushed)
2 lbs ground pork
2 lbs ground beef
3 tbsps parsley (chopped)
2 eggs
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp minced garlic (1 large clove)
1 tbsp dried oregano
Drizzle of olive oil
1 oz parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
1 white onion (pureed in minimal amount of water)
Large pinch of salt
Several turns of a black pepper grinder
Sauce Ingredients
3 cans of San Marzano whole tomatoes
1 head of garlic (confit in olive oil)
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to taste, if you prefer more of a kick)
Salt and pepper to taste
Assembly Ingredients
Lasagna Noodles (prepare as package dictates)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Fresh parmesan
Fresh mozzarella
Shredded low-moisture mozzarella
Method
Add the ingredients for the meatballs to a large bowl and gently mix together with your hands, making sure not to over-mix. The raw meatball “dough” should be wet.
Once the meatballs “dough” is combined, pull a small amount out of the bowl and cook in olive oil on the stove until no longer raw. This will allow you to taste the mixture safely.
Adjust your mixture to taste, adding more salt and other seasoning as you prefer. Repeat step 2 if necessary.
Form large meatballs (approximately twice the size of a golfball) and place in rows on a quarter-sheet pan that has been greased with olive oil.
After the entire mixture has been formed into balls, drizzle olive oil over the top of each meatball and then place in 350 degree pre-heated oven for approximately 40 minutes (times may vary, so cook until just nearly cooked).
While the meatballs are in the oven, start on the sauce by preparing the garlic. To confit garlic, place peeled cloves in a pan of olive oil (approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup) set to low heat.
Stir regularly to ovoid burning or over-browning. Cooking the garlic low and slow will allow for a great creamy texture and also create garlic infused olive oil. In a separate sauté pan or sauce pot begin to cook down the 3 cans of San Marzano tomatoes.
When the garlic is cooked through and easily smashed in the pan (slight browning will occur) add the garlic and olive oil to the tomatoes.
Add 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock and red pepper flakes to the tomatoes, stir to combine and then let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or until thickened and tomatoes have had a chance to break down a bit.
Remove the meatballs from the oven, once nearly cooked through and let rest in the pan until cool enough to handle.
With a handheld immersion blender, blitz the tomatoes into a sauce that is close to the consistence of a smooth milkshake. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, reduce the time you spend blending.
Prepare your assembly station by setting aside in individual bowls are plates the following items; fresh mozzarella roughly chopped or torn, shredded low-moisture mozzarella, freshly grated Parmesan, a bowl of your sauce mixed with your ricotta (the amount depends on your preference, taste as you go), meatballs (roughly chopped in bite-sized pieces), black pepper grinder, red pepper flakes, and lasagna noodles.
Assemble to lasagna by starting with a layer of sauce then a layer of noodles (overlapping the frilled edges). Cover the noodle layer with meatballs and fresh mozzarella pieces followed by a thin layer of shredded mozzarella, and parmesan. I then add a very small grind or two of black pepper. In the next layer, I switch to oregano and then the following layer, red pepper flakes (and then repeat if necessary). Cover this first layer with a thin layer of sauce and then repeat until you are at the top of your casserole dish (leaving room to cover the top in shredded mozzarella and parmesan.
Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet (with a lip to collect any boiled over sauce) and loosely cover with tin foil.
Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for approximately 30-45 minutes making sure to uncover the lasagna for the last 5-10 minutes. Uncovering the lasagna at the end of the bake will brown the cheese. When the cheese on top of the lasagna is the color your desire, remove from the oven.
Let the lasagna rest for at least 30 minutes. This could take up to an hour. Cutting into a lasagna before it has cooled for the appropriate amount of time will result in a mess. It’s difficult to wait, but definitely worth your time.
Portion and enjoy with focaccia.
Tips
A handheld immersion blender is a tool that should be in every kitchen. It’s perfect for sauces, soups, and anyone looking to make a less mess milkshake. If yours hasn’t yet arrived, you can use a blender (we recommend a Blendtec, because it’s durable, strong, and the company has fantastic customer service. This blender in an investment that can save you money down the road).
While you can make fresh pasta for this dish, dried store-bought pasta works perfectly! This will save you time and effort, giving you more energy for kneading a nice side of fresh focaccia bread.
Top the lasagna with fresh or dried herbs like oregano or rosemary (careful not to burn them) to add even more flavor to your dish. This dish is delicious both with or without this optional step.
For the version made by Jon Favreau and Roy Choy on “The Chef Show,” toasted and crushed fennel seeds were substituted for fennel pollen.
The Chef Show is amazing and definitely something you should binge at least more than once.