RECIPES

I must admit this is not a quick dinner fix, but rather a festive dish that you can prepare with the help of your best friend or a family member for a beautiful, flavorful, satisfying and vegetarian holiday dinner. It is a fantastic option when you want to do something special and vegetarian.

Lasagna can be made with a limitless list of variations, most of them fruit of your own creativity. It’s one of those magic dishes that create warm conviviality around the table; it is rich, but you can decide just how copious to make it. This recipe is rich in vegetables: I opted for broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini as they create a nice flavor balance, but you can substitute any of them, or add more. It is also rich in diary, as tradition dictates, but you could go vegan using coconut milk for the bechamel and homemade cashew mozzarella. And an egg-free pasta dough.

By the way, lasagne are in use since the times of the Romans, who would alternate the dough with meat. The first written recipe is from the 16th century, proposing layers of wheat dough alternated with cheese and spices, as tomato sauce was not yet in use. Tomatoes were later imported in Europe from the Americas.

In Italian, we speak of lasagne, plural, because it indicates the many layers of dough stripes, each of them called lasagna.

I can’t tell how many happy memories were made around a dish of lasagne, prepared with love for family reunions and special occasions. The versatility of this dish is unique, also because it must be assembled and preferably cooked the day before and just reheated before consuming.