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Lasagna di Carnevale is a Neapolitan lasagna traditionally eaten to celebrate Carnevale (carnival). This recipe is rich, indulgent and full of incredible flavour made with layers of pasta, ricotta, meatballs and eggs – perfect for an Italian Sunday dinner or celebration.
There are a lot of differences when it comes to lasagna from the north of Italy and lasagna from the south.
lasagna from the north is made with an irresistible beef ragu and creamy bechamel sauce, it’s also the lasagna that most Europeans are familiar with.
Lasagna from the south, specifically, Naples is made with a rustic meat ragu, ricotta (no bechamel), meatballs and even hard-boiled eggs. This is the lasagna that most Americans are familiar with (in variations).
It’s taken me a long time to make a southern Italian lasagna because I was so sure that a classic Lasagna Bolognese just couldn’t be beaten.
To say that we were blown away with this Neapolitan Lasagna is an understatement. It’s absolutely incredible and to be honest it’s really hard for me to choose which one I prefer (so I won’t).
This lasagna, in particular, is traditionally made to celebrate Carnevale (Mardi Gras), a festival of feasting and indulgence before the beginning of Lent. This dish ticks all the boxes and as rich as it is will leave you wanting seconds.
If you’ve made our classic Lasagne al Forno (which has over 100 5-star reviews) you’re guaranteed to love this one too!
Ingredients
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Pin ItIngredient notes and substitutions
- Ragu alla Napoletana – this is the incredible sauce used to make the lasagna (it’s what gives it the wow factor). We eat the sausages and ribs in this sauce for a separate dinner and use the sauce and beef to make the lasagna.
- Homemade pasta – traditionally semolina pasta (without eggs) is used to make Lasagne di Carnevale but you will see egg pasta dough used a lot now too. We opted to go with our homemade egg pasta dough.
- Ricotta – you can use cow or sheep’s milk ricotta just make sure it’s full-fat.
- Beef for meatballs – we use the beef brisket that has been cooked in the sauce to make meatballs (oh my goodness these are incredible) but you can use ground beef instead. I have tested it with ground beef and it’s also delicious. Another option is to use half ground beef and veal.
- Mozzarella – we always use fresh mozzarella (dap it with kitchen paper to remove excess water). Some variations also add Caciocavallo cheese.
- Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino – use whatever one you prefer or have on hand.
Step by step photos and instructions
Prepare in advance
We highly recommend making the Ragu alla Napoletana 1 day in advance. This not only makes the whole process easier and more time efficient but the sauce tastes even better the next day. Save all the beef and sauce for this recipe and eat the sausage and ribs for another dinner.
You can also prep your hard-boiled eggs the day before.
Prep your homemade pasta dough first on the day you make the lasagna.
See our step-by-step photos below to give you a visual representation of the recipe. The full written recipe with our top tips can be found in the recipe card below.
- Soak bread – Tear up the slice of bread and let it soak in a bowl with milk until soft.
- Blitz beef – Meanwhile, blitz the beef brisket in a food processor. If using ground beef mince just add it straight to a mixing bowl (photos 1 and 2).
- Meatball mixture – Put blitzed beef in a mixing bowl with finely chopped parsley, grated Pecorino (or Parmigiano) and 1 egg. Squeeze the milk out of the bread and crumble the bread into the meat mixture. Add a pinch of salt then mix everything until well combined (photos 3 and 4).
- Roll meatballs – Roll the meat mixture into tiny meatballs, we use about ½ teaspoon of mixture per meatball (you should get between 60-70 meatballs) (photos 5 and 6).
- Fry meatballs – Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large pan. Once hot fry the meatballs until browned in batches, let them drain on kitchen paper (photos 7 and 8).
- Ricotta mixture – Put the ricotta in a bowl with a spoonful of sauce (about ¼ cup/60ml), mix together until well combined (photos 9 and 10).
- Lasagna sheets – roll out your pasta dough and cut your sheets to fit the size of your dish. Blanch them in batches in boiling salted water then lay them on a clean kitchen towel (photos 11 and 12).
- Assemble the lasagna – Spread a small spoonful of tomato sauce on the bottom of your lasagna dish. Lay over 1 layer of blanched pasta (you can cut any overlaps). Spoon more tomato sauce over the pasta followed by a few dollops of ricotta. Spread it out to cover the pasta (photos 13 and 14).
- Add filling – Sprinkle over around 15 meatballs and pieces of hard-boiled egg. Add some mozzarella then a grating of Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano (photo 15).
- Repeat – Repeat the layers. You should have 5 layers of pasta in total with 4 layers of filling. Finish the very top layer of pasta with sauce and grated Pecorino or Parmigiano (no mozzarella) (photo 16).
- Bake – Bake uncovered 180C/350F for 40-45 mins. Let the lasagna rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
More Italian lasagna recipes to try
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Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Lasagna di Carnevale (Neapolitan Lasagna)
Equipment
- Baking dish 9×13 inch
- Clean kitchen towel
- Kitchen paper
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 batch Ragu alla Napoletana, (make this 1 day in advance, see notes)
Meatballs
- 1 thick slice crusty bread (crusts removed), (50g/2oz)
- ⅓ cup (80ml) milk
- 1 egg
- 8 oz (250g) beef brisket or ground beef, (see notes)
- 1/4 cup (30g) Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, plus extra for the layers
- Small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Sunflower oil, or other flavourless oil, for frying
Fresh pasta (or use 450g/1 lb fresh store-bought pasta sheets)
- 300 g 00 flour, (2 and 1/4 cups, spooned and levelled)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
Other ingredients
- 2 cups (500g/1.1 lb) Ricotta
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- 8.8 oz (250g) fresh mozzarella, (2 balls)
Instructions
Prepare the ragu (1 day in advance)
- Follow the recipe to make our Ragu alla Napoletana. Keep all of the sauce and beef for this recipe. The sausages and ribs in the sauce can be eaten as they are not needed here. Making the ragu 1 day in advance is not only easier for timing but it tastes even better the next day.
Prep the pasta dough
- Place the flour on a clean work surface and create a wide well in the middle. Add 3 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk to the well.
- Using a fork whisk the eggs whilst slowly incorporating the flour until it’s combined and looks like a very rough dough. You may need to use your hands once most of the egg is incorporated to help it along.
- Bring the dough together with your hands to form a ball. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until it’s smooth and pliable. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it to rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Note: if you prep the pasta the day before place it in the fridge and bring it to room temp before using. You can find a visual guide to making homemade pasta here.
To make the meatballs
- Tear up the slice of bread and let it soak in a bowl with milk until soft.
- Meanwhile, blitz the beef brisket in a food processor. If using ground beef mince just add it straight to a mixing bowl.
- Put blitzed beef in a mixing bowl with finely chopped parsley, grated Pecorino (or Parmigiano) and 1 egg. Squeeze the milk out of the bread and crumble the bread into the meat mixture. Add a pinch of salt then mix everything until well combined.
- Roll the meat mixture into tiny meatballs, we use about ½ teaspoon of mixture per meatball (you should get between 60-70 meatballs).
- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large pan. Once hot fry the meatballs until browned in batches, let them drain on kitchen paper.
Ricotta mixture
- Put the ricotta in a bowl with a spoonful of sauce (about ¼ cup/60ml), mix together until well combined.
Roll out pasta dough
- Cut the pasta dough into quarters. Work with one-quarter at a time and keep the rest wrapped up.
- Set up your pasta machine and dust your work surface and machine lightly with flour.
- Flatten your piece of dough and roll it through the widest setting. Fold one end of the pasta into the middle and the other end directly over it (like a leaflet) press it to flatten and pass it through the widest setting again. Repeat this process 1 more time.
- Now pass the dough through each setting once (without folding) until you reach the second last setting (usually number 7).
Blanch the pasta
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F.
- Note: I find it easier for space to roll out the pasta and blanch it in batches as I’m assembling the lasagna.
- Cut the lasagna sheets to fit the size of your dish then blanch them in the boiling water for about 10-20 seconds. Gently remove the sheets with kitchen tongs and place on a clean kitchen towel.
- Repeat the rolling out and blanching process with each quarter of dough (as I mentioned you might find it easier to assemble that blanched pasta as you go).
Assemble the lasagna
- Spread a small spoonful of tomato sauce on the bottom of your lasagna dish. Lay over 1 layer of blanched pasta (you can cut any overlaps).
- Spoon more tomato sauce over the pasta followed by a few dollops of ricotta. Spread it out to cover the pasta.
- Sprinkle over around 15 meatballs and pieces of hard-boiled egg. Add some mozzarella then a grating of Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Repeat the layers. You should have 5 layers of pasta in total with 4 layers of filling. Finish the very top layer of pasta with sauce and grated Pecorino or Parmigiano (no mozzarella).
- Bake uncovered 180C/350F for 40-45 mins. Let the lasagna rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Ragu alla Napoletana – we eat the sausages and pork ribs the day before for 1 dinner with vegetable sides. Keep as much sauce as possible for the lasagna and keep the brisket for meatballs.
- Beef – if you don’t have beef brisket for the meatballs you can use ground beef mince or even a mix of beef and veal/pork.
- Meatball size – the number of meatballs will vary depending on the size you roll them, we go with about ½ teaspoon of mixture per meatball which should make between 60-70 meatballs. Aim for around 15 meatballs per layer if you have more just divide the meatballs by four for each layer.
- Boiled eggs – we find 3 eggs to be the perfect amount. There are four layers of filling so it’s just under 1 egg per layer (just eyeball it). If you want 1 egg per layer just prepare 1 more.
- Time saving tips – make the ragu 1 day in advance. If you don’t want to make homemade pasta you can use fresh store-bought lasagna sheets (still blanch them).
- Prep in advance – you can assemble the whole lasagna 1 day in advance and bake it the next day.
- Leftovers – the lasagna will keep well in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat it in the oven until piping hot (about 30-40 minutes).
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is perfect for a weekend of cooking something really special! Delicious slow cooked sausage and ribs one night then assembling and enjoying this really special lasagna the next day! My idea of a perfect weekend! SO satisfyingly delicious! And still have 2 portions in the freezer for another treat of a meal! Absolutely worth the effort! Thanks for another family favourite!
This was a two day project and makes a lot of lasagna – Well Worth IT!
We enjoyed this Sunday evening before Lent began – and enjoyed the story behind the lasgna, as well. Highly recommended.
Thank you so much! It’s definitely a labour of love but so worth it. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Guys, you’re taking me back to my childhood with this one. My grandmother made this for us almost every Sunday… Pure heaven!
The only difference was in her version she didn’t include boiled egg, but mixed the ricotta with beaten egg, some grated cheese and parsley.
Your grandmother’s lasagna sounds incredible! You must have the most amazing food memories growing up…I bet Sunday was your favourite day haha!