Marilyn Martin's Recipe

Tony Danza's Lasagna recipe

Category: Recipes

Tony Danza's Lasagna

Makes 2 lasagnas

2 lbs lasagna noodles
2 lbs ricotta cheese at room temperature
3 cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese

2 roasting pans
2-3 mixing bowls

Sauce:
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, washed
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cans tomato paste
4 large cans tomatoes with basil
1 head garlic, finely chopped
1 cup olive oil
1 cup red wine
1 small rack pork spare ribs
1 large onion

Meatballs:
1 lb chopped ground pork
1 lb chopped ground beef
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 head garlic, finely chopped
2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste

Strain canned tomatoes through colander into mixing bowl. Discard pulp. Add basil, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, wine, and salt & pepper to taste.

In a large sauté pan, add 1 cup olive oil. Once hot, add garlic and brown, stirring constantly.

While garlic browns, make meatballs - In a large mixing bowl, add meat, eggs, milk, garlic, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper, and bread crumbs. Using hands, mix ingredients together and with a bit of tap water, roll meatballs (they can be large, as you will crumble them later).

Once garlic is browned, remove and reserve for later use. Fry meatballs in remaining oil, rotating when one side is brown. When you can pick them up with a fork, they are ready. Brown spare ribs in remaining oil and set aside.

Add garlic back into oil. Stir in 2 cans of tomato paste and simmer over medium heat for approx. 4-5 minutes. Stir, and add the strained tomato mixture. Simmer ingredients and add meatballs and browned spare ribs to sauce. Let simmer for at least 2 hours. Remove meatballs from sauce and using your fingers, crumble into separate bowl.

In another mixing bowl, add a few tablespoons of sauce to the room temperature ricotta to make it spreadable.

Boil noodles according to package directions, being careful not to overcook. Once al dente, drain and add cold water to stop the cooking process.

Remove the spare ribs from sauce. Coat the roasting pans with a layer of sauce. Then layer each lasagna evenly in the following order:

-Noodles
-Crumbled meatballs
-Ricotta mixture
-1 cup Parmesan cheese
-Sauce

Repeat layers until mixture reaches top of pan. Add a top layer of noodles and coat with mozzarella and sauce. Cover with aluminum foil. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place lasagna covered in foil in hot oven and bake until hot all the way through (approximately 45 minutes, depending on your oven). Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the top is slightly brown and crispy.