Neapolitan Carnevale Lasagna: Traditional Festive Recipe

Lasagna di Carnevale is a traditional Neapolitan lasagna served to celebrate Carnevale. Rich and indulgent, it layers fresh pasta with ricotta, tiny meatballs and hard‑boiled eggs for a festive, flavourful dish perfect for a family Sunday or special occasion.

Italian lasagna varies by region. Northern versions typically use a beef ragù and creamy béchamel, while southern, and specifically Neapolitan, lasagna omits béchamel and includes a rustic meat ragù, ricotta, meatballs and hard‑boiled eggs.

The northern Lasagna alla Bolognese is familiar across Europe for its slow‑cooked meat sauce and béchamel. In contrast, the Neapolitan Lasagna di Carnevale is rustic and celebratory — the flavours come from a rich Ragu alla Napoletana, fresh ricotta, fried meatballs and eggs layered between sheets of pasta.

I was hesitant to try a southern lasagna because I love Lasagna Bolognese, but the Neapolitan version is spectacular. It’s hearty and decadent — ideal for Carnevale, the feast before Lent, and it’s hard not to go back for seconds.

Ingredients

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Ragu alla Napoletana — this slow, flavourful sauce gives the lasagna its character. Make it a day ahead and reserve the sauce and cooked beef for the lasagna; eat the sausages and ribs separately.
• Pasta — traditional semolina (without egg) is common for Lasagne di Carnevale, but egg pasta is also widely used. This recipe uses homemade egg pasta for a tender sheet.
• Ricotta — use full‑fat ricotta from cow or sheep’s milk for the best texture and flavour.
• Meat for meatballs — brisket cooked in the ragu makes excellent meatballs. Ground beef works well too, or a mix of beef and veal for a lighter texture.
• Mozzarella — use fresh mozzarella and pat it dry to remove excess moisture. Some recipes add Caciocavallo.
• Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino — either cheese is suitable; choose based on taste and availability.

Step by step photos and instructions

The full written recipe and a printable recipe card follow below. Step‑by‑step photos in the gallery illustrate key stages.

1. Soak the bread — tear the slice of crusty bread, remove the crusts and soak it in milk until soft.
2. Prepare the meat — blitz cooked beef brisket in a food processor. If using raw ground beef, simply add it to a mixing bowl.

3. Mix the meatball mixture — combine the blitzed beef with chopped parsley, grated Pecorino or Parmigiano and one egg. Squeeze the milk from the soaked bread, crumble it into the meat and add a pinch of salt. Mix until evenly combined.
4. Roll tiny meatballs — shape the mixture into very small meatballs, about ½ teaspoon each; you should get roughly 60–70 meatballs.

5. Fry the meatballs — heat about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of neutral oil in a pan and fry meatballs in batches until browned. Drain on kitchen paper.
6. Prepare the ricotta — mix ricotta with a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce (about 1/4 cup / 60 ml) until smooth and seasoned.

7. Roll and blanch lasagna sheets — roll out pasta dough and cut sheets to fit your baking dish. Blanch sheets in salted boiling water for 10–20 seconds, then transfer to a clean kitchen towel to dry briefly.
8. Assemble the lasagna — spread a thin layer of sauce on the base of the dish, add a layer of blanched pasta, spoon over more sauce and add dollops of ricotta, spreading to cover the sheet.

9. Add fillings — scatter about 15 meatballs, pieces of hard‑boiled egg and torn mozzarella across the layer, then grate Pecorino or Parmigiano over it.
10. Repeat layers — continue layering until you have 5 pasta layers and 4 filling layers. Finish the top with sauce and a generous grating of Pecorino or Parmigiano (no mozzarella on top).
11. Bake — bake uncovered at 180°C / 350°F for 40–45 minutes. Allow the lasagna to rest for 5–10 minutes before serving so it sets and is easier to slice.