One of the traditional dishes of my region, the Marche, the Marche Vincisgrassi or Lasagna.
The recipe or rather the version of this dish varies from family to family, you will never find an identical recipe in all the steps or doses as the others. We from Marche are like this, proud people, who care about their things and especially the recipes if it’s about traditions.
Latest news:
The typical dish of MARCHE, has become one of the four Italian dishes recognized by the EU
A long team effort from the Macerata Chefs Association which, after submitting the application, managed to have this dish declared a “Traditional Guaranteed Specialty”
My recipe for Marche Vincisgrassi or Lasagna is a mix of those from the women in my family: Grandma Licia, Grandma Sandra, and my mother Roberta. They liked it well-loaded with minced meat, sauce, and obviously homemade béchamel. I leave you the link for the preparation of the Homemade Béchamel with butter that you will need to make this recipe.
If you like easy and delicious recipes and want to enjoy a winter lasagna, you can try this recipe: Lasagna with pancetta, scamorza, and walnuts which is really easy to prepare and super creamy! Let’s not forget the Spinach and Robiola Cannelloni, absolutely unmissable!
Three families, three recipes, and I tried to combine them to remember all three in this single dish.
If you want, on my YouTube channel, you can also find the video to prepare the first layer of Vincisgrassi!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 479.89 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 20.20 (g) of which sugars 1.15 (g)
- Proteins 28.68 (g)
- Fat 31.89 (g) of which saturated 12.69 (g)of which unsaturated 9.10 (g)
- Fibers 1.96 (g)
- Sodium 566.72 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 150 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for a pan of Marche Vincisgrassi or Lasagna for 6 people:
- 14 oz Beef (mixed minced)
- 9 oz fresh pasta (for lasagna)
- 2 packages Mozzarella (125 gr each)
- 1 Tomato puree (bottle)
- 125 as needed béchamel (link to the recipe for homemade béchamel)
- as needed Extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 Onions
- as needed Salt
- as needed Black pepper
- as needed Nutmeg
- 1.4 oz White wine
- as needed cheese (grated)
Tools
- Oven
- Baking dish
- Pot
- Spoon
- Pan
- Bowl
Preparation of Marche Vincisgrassi or Lasagna:
Let’s prepare together the Homemade Béchamel with butter with Grandma’s recipe, just click here and save the recipe to make it. Perfect for lasagna but also for other dishes like timbales, crepes, and much more.
Sauté the onion in extra virgin olive oil in a pan, deglaze with white wine, sprinkle with pepper and salt, add the tomato puree and minced meat. Cover and cook on low heat, trying not to leave lumps of meat, for about 40 minutes.
Bring plenty of salted water to a boil to boil the pasta for Marche Vincisgrassi or lasagna. Also, take a bowl with cold water to immerse the pasta after boiling it. You can place it in the sink so that you still have cold water available if needed. Keep nearby the baking dish you have chosen for cooking the lasagna. Wet the bottom with a good spoonful of béchamel.
When you start boiling the pasta and after passing it in cold water, you can start composing the various layers in the baking dish. We start the first layer by placing the boiled pasta and pouring the sauce over it, pieces of mozzarella, a sprinkle of cheese, and a couple of tablespoons of béchamel.
If you want to prepare the homemade béchamel with butter, you can follow my recipe by clicking here. You won’t regret it!
Cook the pasta a little at a time as it is used to compose the layers. This is to prevent it from becoming too soft, resulting in overcooked.
Generally, my vincisgrassi have a maximum of 5 layers, I don’t like them too high.
On the last layer, I put more béchamel and more cheese; I like that it forms a nice crunchy crust.
At this point, bake at 356°F in static mode for about 35 to 40 minutes.
Occasionally check how the lasagna is cooking because bubbles may form; you need to pop them with a fork so that no air forms between the layers.
Serve Marche Vincisgrassi or lasagna hot and gooey.
Enjoy your meal!!!!
The Marche vincisgrassi or lasagna have from 4 to 6 layers, but some make 7 or 10, some even up to 15, depending on taste. In sequence, my mother reached six at most, Grandma Licia to about ten but each layer was overflowing, almost spilling at times, while Grandma Sandra makes about twenty of which three or four with seasoning, the others only pasta. I mix things up and stop at 5 but fully packed.
It is a recipe I care a lot about, as I told you, it is the union of the three Lasagna recipes from the women in my family. So today I have served you a bit of my region’s tradition.
Suggestions:
Mom Roberta’s Tip: if using store-bought béchamel, add milk, as they are always too thick, which will make it more fluid and easier to spread.
Grandma Licia’s Tip: always add a sprinkle of nutmeg if you haven’t made the béchamel at home, as the store one lacks it.
Marche Regional Dishes:
Since we are talking about Marche regional typical dishes, I’ll also leave you the recipe for the Crescia di Pasqua or Easter Pizza. It’s a kind of leavened bread served for breakfast on Easter Sunday to be eaten with mixed cold cuts and cheeses.
