What to Serve with Lasagna: 10 Fantastico Italian Sides

Families couldn’t afford to serve lasagna very often. But a funny thing happened when Neapolitan immigrants–and their lasagna–came to this country during the immigration boom in the early 1900s. “They discovered that meat was cheap and easy to buy,” explains De Mane, the granddaughter of southern Italian immigrants.

How to layer lasagna:

• Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
• Make a layer of cooked lasagna noodles.
• Spread an even layer of the ricotta cheese mixture.
• Spread an even layer of meat sauce.
• Repeat those layers two times.
• Top it with a final layer of noodles, sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese.

• Antipasto.
• Breadsticks.
• Tomato Feta Salad.
• Green Salad.
• Wedge Salad.
• Chicken Wings.
• Roasted Veggies.
• Roasted Tomatoes.

I prefer shredded mozzarella cheese over fresh mozzarella balls because I find them too watery for lasagna. I also prefer shredded mozzarella cheese over sliced mozzarella because its so much easier to evenly distribute.

The International Dictionary of Food and Cooking defines pizza cheese as “a soft spun-curd cheese similar to Mozzarella made from cow’s milk…” that is “…used particularly for pizzas and contains somewhat less water than real Mozzarella…” Most are at least 95 percent Mozzarella, with different moisture and fat …

Did You Know There Are Actually 12 Types of Mozzarella?

Here are some suggestions for vegetables you can use:

• Zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, chopped.
• Mushrooms, chopped or torn into small pieces.
• Spinach, kale or other greens.
• Winter squash like butternut or delicata squash would be excellent for a fall-inspired lasagna.
• Carrots, chopped or shredded.

When making a fresh spinach lasagna using raw spinach, you’ll probably want to cook the spinach first so your lasagna doesn’t turn out too watery. If you use frozen spinach, you can simply thaw and drain it thoroughly before using.