 | |
| Alternative names | Matzo lasagne, matzah lasagna, matzagna |
|---|---|
| Course | Dinner |
| Place of origin | Israel,North America,Italy, other communities in thediaspora |
| Created by | Italian Jews |
| Main ingredients | Matzo, softcheese such asricotta orcottage cheese,eggs,bechamel ortomato sauce,mozzarella,parmesan orpecorino, spinach, herbs andspices |
Matzo lasagna (sometimes spelledmatzah lasagna), also known asmatzagna,[1] is aJewish type oflasagna made by layering sheets ofmatzo with typically a tomato or abechamel sauce and various cheeses. It originated from theItalian Jews and is popular inIsrael, theUnited States, and the rest of thediaspora. It is similar to the traditionalSephardic Jewish dishmina; though the fillings differ as mina is typically made with meat or a spinach and feta filling, while matzo lasagna is made with sauce and cheese.[2]
During Passover,Jewish law prohibits the consumption of food items other than matzo that are made with wheat or other similargrains.[3] Given these restrictions, some individuals will make lasagna by substituting matzo for traditional wheat pasta sheets.[2] Some people substitutecottage cheese orfarmers cheese and abstain fromricotta cheese during Passover as Kosher-for-Passover varieties are difficult to find.[4][5]
Matzo lasagna descended from a local Italian Jewish variant of a much older Sephardic culinary tradition of Passover pies, or casseroles, calledminas. Minas are composed of sheets of matzo layered with savory ingredients and baked. Some have ground lamb in a tomato sauce; others may be made with spinach and cheese similar to the Israelibourekas but made with matzo instead ofphyllo orpuff pastry.[6]
Matzo lasagna can be made with regular,shmura, egg matzo, orgluten-free matzo,[7] and fillings include tomato sauce, ricotta cheese and mozzarella-basil filling,[8] while some use fresh mozzarella,[2] a spinach-ricotta filling,[9][10] and cheese with ramps, peas, spinach, leeks, and chives.[11]
Matzo lasagna is prepared by adding tomato sauce to the bottom of a casserole dish, the layering large sheets of Matzo over the sauce and then adding a layer of ricotta cheese mixed with parmesan, eggs, herbs and spices, then another layer of sauce, matzo, ricotta cheese mixture, and continuing until the pan is full and is then topped with mozzarella or similar melting cheese and baked until the cheese bubbled and the top is golden brown.[2][12][8]
