Lasagna in broth is a traditional dish from Molise - it's a lasagna layered with shredded chicken, mini meatballs, mozzarella, and parmigiano, and of course, served with lots of chicken broth!
Lasagna soup is having its moment on social media right now. The trending version involves making a simple tomato sauce with sausage, adding broth and heavy cream, and cooking broken up lasagna noodles in it.
Seeing all the great interpretations, I wanted to get in on the lasagna soup action (in my own way) - so I decided to make a traditional Italian lasagna soup from the region of Molise. This version is basically nothing like the trending lasagna soup, and it stays true to Italian tradition and flavors.
The recipe starts with a homemade chicken broth (brodo) made using a whole chicken, and various vegetables. You can also use homemade chicken broth to make a comforting chicken pastina soup.
The lasagna itself is composed of pasta sheets, the chicken broth, shredded chicken, mini beef (or veal) meatballs, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano.
Once served, more broth is added so the piece of lasagna looks like it's swimming in the broth.
Why you should make it
- It's comforting - Layers of lasagna filled with chicken, mini meatballs, and cheese - all topped with warm homemade chicken broth - nothing says "comfort" more thatn that!
- It stores well - Make this once, and it makes a large batch, so you'll have lots of leftovers! Keeps well in the fridge for a few days - just reheat and serve
- It's an authentic Italian dish - This dish is a hidden gem in Italian cooking. It comes from a very small town in Molise, but it even has its own festival (more on that below)! If you make it, you'll have the chance to try something a little off the traveled path, but pretty worth it.
Origins
Lasagna in brodo literally translates to "lasagna in broth."
This recipe probably dates back to ancient Roman times, but this dish is now typical to Molise - one of Italy's smallest regions, located in central/southern Italy.
In fact, in the town of Guglionesi in Campobasso, there is a festival every year dedicated specifically to lasagna in brodo. That's how seriously they take this dish in Molise!
Even though the festival is held in the summer, this dish is usually served as a winter dish, specifically on Dec 26th for the feast of St. Stephen's. As it's served in a warm chicken broth, and layered with chicken and meatballs, this is the perfect dish to keep you toasty on a cold winter's evening.
Ingredients
- Homemade chicken broth - made using a whole chicken, onion, celery, carrots, cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. The broth develops a deep flavor that is essential to this dish.
- Shredded chicken - The whole chicken from the broth is shredded and used in the lasagna layers
- Mini meatballs - Add more flavor and texture to the lasagna layers
- Mozzarella - classic cheese to use in a lasagna!
- Parmigiano reggiano - adds extra umami and depth of flavor to the layers
How to make it - step by step
Shred the chicken (photo 1)
Make the mini meatballs (photos 2 & 3)
Assemble the lasagna
To a baking dish, add about one ladle of broth (photo 4) Place pasta sheets on top to cover the surface of the dish.
Top with shredded chicken and meatballs (photos 5 & 6) Add more broth (photo 7)
Top with mozzarella and parmigiano (photo 8)
Assemble the second layer - add pasta sheets, shredded chicken, meatballs, broth, mozzarella and parmigiano
Assemble the top layer - add pasta sheets, broth, mozzarella and parmigiano (photo 9)
Add the lasagna to the oven. Bake for about 30 mins or until cheese is melted. Place under broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown the top (photo 10)
Remove from the oven. Cut a piece, place it in a bowl, and add more broth to the plate. (photo 11)
Top with grated parmigiano reggiano and minced parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy! (photo 12)
Storage and reheating
You can keep the lasagna covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Store the extra broth separately. To heat, either heat it up in the oven, or in the microwave. Warm up the broth on the stove in a saucepan. Ladle the warm broth over the lasagna before serving. Top with more grated parmigiano.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. When ready, thaw in the refrigerator. Once fully thawed, follow the instructions above for reheating.
Top tips
- The very traditional way to cook the meatballs is to cook them from raw in the chicken broth - I chose to fry them because I thought they would have more flavor this way. You can cook them in the broth if you'd like!
- You can use veal instead of beef to make the meatballs if desired
- You can use pizza (dry) mozzarella instead of fresh mozzarella. The final dish will be more cheesy
- You can also shred the carrots that were used in the broth and layer them in the lasagna as well.
- All together, when assembling the lasagna, I used about 1.5 - 2 cups of broth
- You may have some shredded chicken and meatballs left over at the end
- The size of baking dish used in this recipe is: 8 x 11.5 inches
- The size of the pasta sheets used in this recipe is: 5 x 11.5 inches. If the sheets you're using are a different size, you will have to adjust the number of sheets used.
More Italian pasta dishes
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Recipe
Lasagna in Brodo (Lasagna in Broth) - A Traditional Dish from Molise
Lasagna in broth is a traditional dish from Molise - it's a lasagna layered with shredded chicken, mini meatballs, mozzarella, and parmigiano - served with lots of chicken broth!
Ingredients
- 1 batch homemade chicken broth
- 400 g fresh mozzarella cut into small pieces
- 1.5 cups parmigiano reggiano grated (plus more for serving)
- 5 fresh lasagna sheets see notes on size
For the mini meatballs
- 450 grams lean ground beef
- 1 egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup parmigiano reggiano grated
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
Shred the chicken
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Using the whole chicken used to make the broth, pull apart the meat from the bones. Discard the bones, and you will be left with shredded chicken to use in the lassagna.
Make the mini meatballs
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Place all the meatball ingredients in a bowl except for the olive oil.
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Mix the ingredients well with a fork or your hands, until they are all combined.
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Take a small piece of the mixture and form a little meatball by rolling it in between your hands. The meatballs should be about 2cm in diameter.
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Repeat until all meatballs are formed and there is no meat left.
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In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Place the meatballs in the olive oil, working in batches if necessary.
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Brown on all sides - this will not take long since the meatballs are so small (a few minutes). It's ok if they're not completely cooked through - they will finish cooking once placed in the oven as part of the lasagna.
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Place the meatballs to the side and cover with tin foil.
Cook the lasagna sheets
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Bring a large pot of water to boil. add salt the water. Drop the lasagna sheets in, about two at a time. Depending on how thick the lasagna sheets are, bil them for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
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Place the lasagna sheets on a tea towel.
Assemble the lasagna
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Preheat oven to 350F. To a baking dish, add about one ladle of broth. Place pasta sheets on top to cover the surface of the dish.
-
Top with shredded chicken and meatballs. Add more broth.
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Top with mozzarella and parmigiano.
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Assemble the second layer - add pasta sheets, shredded chicken, meatballs, broth, mozzarella and parmigiano.
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Assemble the top layer - add pasta sheets, broth, mozzarella and parmigiano.
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Add the lasagna to the oven. Bake for about 30 mins or until cheese is melted. Place under broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown the top.
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Remove from the oven. Cut a piece, place it in a bowl, and add more broth to the plate. Top with grated parmigiano reggiano and minced parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
-
- The very traditional way to cook the meatballs is to cook them from raw in the chicken broth - I chose to fry them because I thought they would have more flavor this way. You can cook them in the broth if you'd like!
- You can use veal instead of beef to make the meatballs if desired
-
- You can use pizza (dry) mozzarella instead of fresh mozzarella. The final dish will be more cheesy
-
- You can also shred the carrots that were used in the broth and layer them in the lasagna as well.
-
- All together, when assembling the lasagna, I used about 1.5 - 2 cups of broth
-
- You may have some shredded chicken and meatballs left over at the end
-
- The size of baking dish used in this recipe is: 8 x 11.5 inches
-
- The size of the pasta sheets used in this recipe is: 5 x 11.5 inches. If the sheets you're using are a different size, you will have to adjust the number of sheets used.