Lasagna Bianca

This recipe is based on a fantastic lasagna I ate recently at Viccolo Colombino in Bologna. The restaurant owners told me that there is much variation in the meats used locally and variations are made using combinations of chicken, rabbit, sausage and mortadella. For ease, I made this using good quality pork sausages. Italian fennel sausages would work, as would minced meat. Minced pork, chicken or turkey would work, or you could even try chicken sausages. You’ll need to up the seasoning if you use minced meat instead of sausages. The mushrooms are my own addition, but I think they work well.

I try and make this in two layers to use as little pasta as possible, as that’s the way I like it. Do feel free to add more pasta or layers if you prefer. You’ll see it’s very cheesy, but that’s the way it was made in Bologna and I’m very happy to retain this element – this is not everyday food.

There is some work involved in making this dish. It’s not too time consuming but does create some washing up. I quite like to make two at a time and freeze one to make the most of the time invested in making it.