My love of lasagna grew sometime after college when I visited a friend’s house for dinner. This was a real Italian family like mine, and they knew how to cook. The family had owned and operated a family restaurant, both mom and dad, for over 20 years in a major city.  I visited with the family and we all instantly had a bond. That Sunday afternoon, we all sat down to a big meal. It’s typical for Italian families to have a pasta and meatballs late in the day on Sunday. It was a time everyone set aside to visit with family.

Before my eyes they served me an enormous piece of lasagna, I could not believe how big it was! I’d never finish it I thought. I took one bite and was hooked. The oozing of the melted mozzarella cheese, the garlicy tomato sauce and the tenderness of the noodles, what a masterpiece they had created. This is when my love of lasagna started. Years and years passed and I never attempted to make it. My family didn’t make it too often. It was when I started raising my own family and was home more often, that I started to make lasagna oven and over again until I had perfected the taste and the texture. Later when my son was born, I experimented with gluten-free noodles. He especially loved the combination of the ricotta cheese, spinach and tomato sauce.

Lasagna will always remind me of a special Italian family. I hope you nurture your love of lasagna and try out my Lasagna recipe. My portion sizing is not as enormous, but the taste is very authentic Italian and will transport you to Italy in one bite. Mange!