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Matzo Lasagna
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- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 4anchovies, finely chopped (optional)
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- ¼teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
- 2(28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
- ¾teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as needed
- 1rosemary sprig
- 2¾cups/24 ounces whole-milk ricotta, preferably fresh
- 1large egg
- ¼cup basil leaves, chopped, plus more for serving
- ¾teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1(10-ounce) box matzo, preferably egg or salted matzo
- 1pound fresh mozzarella, sliced, then torn into bite-size pieces
- ½cup freshly grated Parmesan
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pot over medium, heat oil, and stir in garlic, anchovies (if using), pepper and red-pepper flakes. Cook until garlic starts to brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 2
Use your hands to squeeze and crush the whole tomatoes as you add them to the pot, along with any liquid in the cans (or use kitchen shears to cut the tomatoes in the can). Stir in ½ teaspoon salt and rosemary sprig, bring to a gentle simmer, and simmer at medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta, egg, basil, pepper, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and nutmeg.
- Step 4
To assemble the lasagna, spread generous ½ cup sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13 baking dish. Place matzo crackers in an even layer on top, breaking crackers to fit as necessary.
- Step 5
Spread half the ricotta mixture over the matzo layer, spreading all the way to the edges. Top with generous ¾ cup tomato sauce, then scatter with ⅓ of the mozzarella.
- Step 6
Repeat matzo, ricotta, tomato sauce, and mozzarella layers.
- Step 7
Top with a final layer of matzo, then spread remaining tomato sauce (about 2 cups) on top, making sure all of the matzo is covered. Top with remaining mozzarella and ½ cup Parmesan.
- Step 8
Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then serve topped with more basil, a drizzle of olive oil and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
We've been eating this for decades in Israel. It's a typical Passover dish everybody eats. It's good, but it doesn't compare to regular lasagna based on pasta. Just not the same. Not putting it down, but don't have exaggerated expectations of of it.
My aunt has been making this for years in my family. We call it matzagna!
I like to add chopped, steamed and squeezed of it's excess water spinach to my ricotta layer in my regular lasagna and I'm sure it would work just as well here.
Here's what I do instead of squeezing tomatoes with my hands, as is often directed by a recipe: get a pair of kitchen shears, stick them in the can, and cut away. No hands to wash afterwards, no mess all over the place, gives you a greater degree of control for larger or smaller chunks, and you can throw the kitchen shears in the dishwasher afterwards.
First discovered & enjoyed Matzoh Lasagna at the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca NY nearly three decades ago (albeit sans anchovies). After all those years, happy to have a formal recipe to follow. One caveat: This makes A LOT of lasagna!
This exceeded my expectations! The egg matzo softens and becomes surprisingly pasta-like in the oven. My only adjustments were: -the cook time was too long. took it out of the oven 10 minutes early, but maybe ours runs hot. If we’d left it in as long as is indicated it would have been too dry. -added spinach to the ricotta mixture. recommended.
Hey! If this is eaten in Israel and in Italy for Seder, I am thinking why not creat an entire Seder meal around the lasagna. Make a ‘proper’ antipasto, perhaps broccoli with an Italian slant as well. What a fun surprise Seder meal for all 13 of us!
Ok, the not-fermented business relates only to grain fermentation. If we gave the heave-ho to anything fermented there'd be no wine at the Seder either. Enjoy the wine at the Seder and the matzo lasagne with cheese during the holiday, at home.
I never use whole tomatoes for just that reason. Try a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes instead. Great flavor!
any recipe that contains cheese cannot 'officially' be used at a seder with a meat main dish - just saying'
If you're veg like me, you can sub capers for the anchovies. Some pine nuts add flavor and texture as well.
Egg Matzoh and salted Matzoh that are made specifically for Passover are in fact Kosher for Passover.. Look in the supermarket in your Passover aisle.
We’ve been making this dish for years. Just seemed a logical thing to make on Passover. One of the rare recipes that we just made up! Nice to see we weren’t alone.
Not the same at all. Trust this, the canned whole plum tomatoes have a fresher taste. I supposed crushed can be used too with good results but the whole tomatoes will just be closer to fresh. My opinion, for what it's worth.
Egg matzoh and salted matzoh do come kosher for Passover
Friends, this lasagna saves the day when it begins to feel like Passover is dragging on! Just like regular lasagna, except the layers aren't well defined. About the only thing that can bring the kids to the table along about the sixth day. It's a winner every year.
Not great. Just eat the matzo with some nice cheese.
Shocked at how much we enjoyed this! Matzo is so much lighter than pasta. This will make it into regular rotation! And the marinara is delicious!
Added 2 lbs spinach and halved ricotta. Worked well.
Delicious! I added baby spinach and used jarred sauce because I was in a rush. I increased the basil to use up a full bunch. Baked a double recipe early in the day and then warmed up in the oven. Everyone had seconds.
This was a delicious recipe. My late Sephardic mother in law (z.l) used to make a similar, simple version. I agree with another commenter that the final 20 minutes baking uncovered in the oven was too long for me - even at 10 mins. Next time I might lower the temperature to 350 or take it out after only 5 minutes uncovered in the oven. Really nice dairy recipe for Pesach.
Impressively accurate recipe. I omitted the anchovies b/c people are fussy, and instead of making my own tomato sauce, I doctored up 2 jars of Rao's marinara w/extra evoo, garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and a rosemary sprig. Lots of chopped fresh basil in the ricotta mix. First time making Matzo Lasagna, and I was relieved to see how perfectly it came together in my 9-by-13 Pyrex® dish. I'll be serving it tomorrow at a Passover potluck. Thank you, Melissa!
Melissa, your recipe was a total hit. My relatives LOVED it. So many compliments - I told them anytime they need a Matzo Lasagna they can count on me. THANKS AGAIN.
This is a 5 star recipe! A reminder that there are 8 days of Passover, two nights of Seder. If you’re having meat, then save it for the days after Seder and enjoy!
don't forget to remove the sprig of rosemary.
Whole peeled tomatoes definitely have a fresher taste than diced. I just dumped them into the pot and then used a potato masher to break them up.
Made this last year and planning on making it again, this time with spelt [kosher for Passover] matzoh. Please don't confuse what is traditional for the Seder and what can be eaten during Passover. There are many KFP matzohs available: plain, whole wheat, egg, spelt.
I have been making Passover lasagna for years. I make it with ground meat. Of course, no cheese. I used to put it out with the brisket and they devoured it! If you prefer the meat to the dairy, it’s easy to make and everyone likes it.
Third year making this delicious lasagna. This time in p/o Basil sautéed a lb of baby spinach with red pepper flakes,garlic & onion pdr.,omitted rosemary and used home-made smoked pink Himalayan salt p/o sea salt.
Followed the recipe exactly, but the matzo was too ‘squishy’ which is probably why you layer the cheese on top of it. Will use the sauce and cheese mixtures with traditional pasta from now on.
egg and salted matzoh are not kosher for ritual purposes but are fine (so long as they are marked properly) for the rest of the holiday.
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