May 13, 2022

HAM LASAGNE

LLasagne is the foundation of Italian cuisine. A dish you are offered at any restaurant in the main touristic cities as a culinary representative of our culture.

Usually, Italians cook this iconic dish for important occasions, like Christmas or special dinners.

An exception is represented by White Lasagne, a classic for Italian Sunday lunches with family and friends because easier to prepare.

Why? The “white lasagne” dishes substitute Ragù – long to prepare – with other tasty ingredients like Prosciutto ( ham), Vegetables, Pesto, and many others.

The time of preparation is shortened, but the effect is guaranteed! Your guests will surely be grateful to you!

I will repeat the following forever: “Every person, every family, and every region has a preferred version with some variation of any dish”. I encourage you to add your personal touch and adjust the recipes to your personal taste. Be creative!

Here, I propose the Ham and Mozzarella Lasagne dish – in Italian “Lasagne con Prosciutto Cotto e Mozzarella”.

You’ll see how easy it is to prepare but the effect, once cooked, is “a wow effect”.

I hope you’ll enjoy it!

Lasagne with ham: layers

Lasagna is composed of many layers of ingredients:

Prosciutto Cotto – Ham
Lasagna, a kind of flat sheet of pasta
Besciamella, a creamy milk sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmigiano

Besciamella Sauce is the only more complex preparation for this dish. Therefore, it’s necessary to prepare it before composing the dish.

Once ready, we’ll proceed with the layers that create the final Lasagne with ham dish.

how to make lasagne

the Ingredients

CHECK ALSO THE GROCERY LIST AT THE END OF THE PAGE !

let's cook lasagne together

step by step

YOU'LL NEED:

“BESCIAMELLA”: THE MILK SAUCE

Put a big piece of butter into a high pan. Cook slowly.
Once the butter has melted, add enough flour to form a ball called Roux (it must be soft but not breaking apart).
At the same time, in another pan boil 1 liter of milk (slowly) with half a teaspoon of salt and nutmeg powder ( I like one full teaspoon).
Once both are ready, pour the milk into the “Roux” and continue to cook until the besciamella is ready.
Add salt if necessary. (taste it!)

Turn off the stove once it becomes soft, creamy, and slightly consistent.

YOU'LL NEED:

BOIL THE LASAGNE

This procedure is necessary for all “white lasagne” dishes unless you find fresh lasagne pasta at the supermarket.

Why? As Ragu’ is not used here ( ragu’ is a liquid element that would soften the lasagne once in the oven), the lasagne must be preboiled.

STEPS

Take one big round pan and fill it with water.

Add some salt (2 teaspoons) and once the water is boiling, put 5/6 pieces of pasta at a time.

Boil for 4/ 5 minutes. Move with a fork to avoid the pieces of pasta from attaching to each other.

Pull out the pasta and let it dry on a clean kitchen towel.

YOU'LL NEED:

COMPOSE THE LASAGNE: THE LAYERS

HERE’S WHERE YOU CAN ADD YOUR OWN STYLE TO THE LASAGNE.

Take one big rectangular casserole dish.
But some flakes of butter or olive oil and spread it all over the casserole
Put the first layer of dry Lasagna Pasta and cover the bottom. This is the base of the lasagna.
Start with the layers:
Pasta (the first one is the base)

Besciamella
Ham/ Prosciutto
Mozzarella
Parmesan
And then again pasta…

Continue layer after layer until you finish the ingredients

The last layer should be of Ham/ Prosciutto and parmesan.

TIPS

YOU ARE THE CHEF!

The chef generally adjusts the ingredients according to his style and taste. There’s not a unique recipe. Every family and person has his favorite version of every dish. I suggest you add your personal touch to the recipe. How? You’ll see below.

LASAGNE: COOKING TIME

Put the oven at 180/ 200 degrees for 35/ 40 minutes. Cover the casserole with aluminum paper to keep the humidity inside for the first 15 minutes. At the end of the cooking time check with a fork, if the lasagna has softened inside.

ADJUST TO YOUR TASTE

Keep in mind that Parmesan is a fundamental ingredient to build the final taste of the dish, so spread generously at every layer. The same applies to mozzarella.

VARIATIONS

Do you want to give more personality to this dish? You can add mushrooms or artichokes or zucchini for instance. Pre-cook them in a pan with garlic, and olive oil. Once cooked add parsley. Spread them as an additional layer with your ham.

THE GROCERY LIST

GROCERY LIST: BESCIAMELLA

FOR THE BESCIAMELLA

Flour 00 (100gr)
Butter (100gr)
Nutmeg
Salt
Whole Fat Milk ( 1 liter)
If you want to prepare more besciamella use the same proportions.

GROCERY LIST: LASAGNE LAYERS

LASAGNE COMPOSITION

5/ 8 mozzarella( I would get even 10 just to be sure I don’t run out of mozzarella and have some extra to put on the top)
300/ 400gr of ham or Italian Prosciutto Cotto.
4 packs of grated parmesan ( I’d buy 2 more for extra flavors and be sure to have enough)
2 boxes of Egg lasagna

LOOKING FOR MORE?

CHECK HERE FOR OTHER WAYS TO COOK LASAGNE. THE RECIPES WILL BE SOON ON OUR BLOG!

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

❗ What many consumers don’t realize is something that people living millennia ago in ancient Greece took for granted; that extra virgin olive oil, all by itself, is one of the best beauty secrets. First, Olive Oil is a natural, hypoallergenic skin moisturizer.

Furthermore, virgin olive oil has the added advantage of providing potent antioxidants, including vitamin E and vitamin K. These vitamins help repair and renew skin that has been damaged from overexposure to sun, air pollution. Other modern-day environmental hazards like cigarette smoke and fast food create aging effects on the skin. The nutrients contained in olive oil have the natural ability to stimulate cells and return skin to a firmer, smoother, and healthier state.

Let’s provide a slightly more scientific explanation. The skin damage is related to the destructive activity of oxygen-related free radicals produced by skin cells. Polyphenolic components of olive oil are like the traditional antioxidants, such as tocopherols, used by the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry to prevent skin damage. There are several simple and inexpensive ways to get the best skincare and beauty benefits from a single bottle of extra virgin olive oil. The rich emollients in olive oil allow just a little to go a long way.