Arthur Avenue Lasagna Verde
Chapter 3 — The Pastas
If you've ever spent a Sunday afternoon at a communal table on Arthur Avenue, you know Italian-American food isn't apologizing for not being authentic—it’s its own glorious, heavyweight cuisine. While Bologna's green lasagna is an exercise in delicate restraint, this Bronx-born giant trades dainty white sauce for a massive matrix of fresh ricotta and mozzarella, swapping subtle ragù for a towering, four-hour Sunday gravy. It’s unapologetic, built for a crowd, and demands a slow simmer, a box grater, and a bottle of Chianti with a candle shoved in the neck.
Before you start
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Have a standard sheet pan ready to catch the inevitable glorious drips during baking.
Shred the pork shoulder.
Once the four-hour simmer is complete, pull the pork shoulder and stir a handful of shredded meat back into the Sunday gravy for texture.
Ingredients
- extra-virgin olive oil1/4 cup
- bone-in pork shoulder1 lb
- sweet Italian sausage links1 lb
- cloves garlic4 large
- certified San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes56 oz
- crushed tomatoes28 oz
- tomato paste2 tbsp
- dried oregano1 tsp
- raw homemade meatballs1 lb
- whole-milk ricotta cheese32 oz
- eggs2 large
- Pecorino Romano1 cup
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/4 cup
- kosher salt1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- whole-milk low-moisture mozzarella cheese1 1/2 lb
- dried green spinach lasagna noodles1 lb
Method
- 01
Brown the meats deeply in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high, generously salt the pork shoulder, and sear the pork and sausages until deeply browned on all sides (about 8-10 minutes) before removing them to a platter.
- 02
Toast the garlic, tomato paste, and oregano in the rendered pork fat.
Lower the heat to medium-low, cook the smashed garlic gently until golden, then stir in the tomato paste and oregano for about 2 minutes until it darkens to a rust color.
- 03
Build the Sunday gravy and settle in for a four-hour simmer.
Pour in all the tomatoes, scrape up the browned bits, and return the pork, sausages, and optional meatballs to the pot; let it bubble on the lowest heat for 4 hours until the pork shreds easily and an orange oil slick rises to the top.
- 04
Combine the ricotta matrix ingredients in a large bowl.
Mix the ricotta, beaten eggs, grated Pecorino, chopped parsley, salt, and pepper until completely homogenous.
- 05
Par-boil the spinach lasagna noodles.
Boil the noodles in a massive pot of heavily salted water, pulling them 2 minutes before they are perfectly al dente, and lay them flat on a lightly oiled sheet pan so they don't stick.
- 06
Assemble the architecture of abundance in a deep baking dish.
Layer a cup of gravy, spinach noodles, one-third of the ricotta, another cup of gravy, and a handful of mozzarella in a 9x13 dish, repeating until you reach the top.
- 07
Crown the lasagna with a final layer of pasta, pure gravy, and an aggressive blanket of mozzarella.
Do not put ricotta on the top layer; finish with just pasta, sauce, the remaining mozzarella, and a dusting of Pecorino.
- 08
Bake covered for 45 minutes, then uncovered until the top is a landscape of golden-brown crispy cheese.
Place the dish on a sheet pan to catch drips, cover tightly with foil sprayed with nonstick spray, and bake at 375°F; remove the foil for the last 15 to 20 minutes.
- 09
Let the lasagna rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
If you cut it immediately, it will slide apart into a delicious swamp; resting lets the immense structure set.
Notes
The meatball ratio is non-negotiable.
If making meatballs for the gravy, use 50% beef, 25% pork, and 25% veal (or 50/50 beef and pork) bound with a milk-soaked bread panade, egg, parmesan, parsley, and garlic.
Pre-shredded mozzarella is an absolute dealbreaker.
The anti-caking agents prevent melting; you must use a box grater on a block of whole-milk, low-moisture mozzarella.
Complete the spread with foil-wrapped garlic bread.
Slice a soft Italian loaf, slather it in garlic-parsley butter, wrap it entirely in foil, and throw it in the oven during the last 15 minutes to let the steam soften the bread while the butter melts in.
From Cook Red Sauce at Home.