Stanley Tucci's 2-Noodle Combo For An Unforgettable Lasagna

Why settle for one type of noodle when you can make a lasagna recipe using two different kinds? At least, this is what Stanley Tucci and family discovered when dining out in Bologna, Italy. When digging into a plate of lasagna verde served for lunch, as he shared with GreenPan, Tucci found himself enjoying a dish that quickly transcended to the top of his list of favorite meals. The hit recipe was replicated by Tucci's mom and thankfully disseminated to the rest of us in Tucci's cookbook. 

While dishes in Italy are mostly made with homemade pasta, you can also make hearty lasagna at home using dried pasta or fresh pasta purchased from a store. Regardless of the kind of noodles you use, Tucci insists on combining traditional yellow egg noodles with green spinach noodles to make this recipe. With a tomato sauce made with flavorful vegetables, a creamy béchamel sauce, and plenty of grated parmesan, Tucci's green lasagna makes for a meal that may, too, quickly find its way onto your list of favorite recipes to eat and serve.

Using store-bought ingredients can help reduce the overall time you'll spend in the kitchen, but if you do want to attempt to make the full culinary delight from scratch, anticipate several hours of preparation — at least three hours from start to finish. Though this isn't a quick dinner you can whip up after work, your efforts will be well rewarded. Present plates of this layered dish with glasses of red wine and a simple salad, and you'll have a filling menu that is guaranteed to be an instant hit among dinner party guests.

In a YouTube video shared by Williams Sonoma Tucci revealed his family was known to serve this pretty lasagna for birthdays and holidays like Christmas. Not only do squares of green lasagna make for a satisfying plating, but it is equally delicious going down the hatch. For aspiring at-home chefs who would prefer Tucci's advice written down on pages to keep on hand in the kitchen, "The Tucci Cookbook" is available on Amazon and can be downloaded to a Kindle. Given enough practice — and all of the positive feedback from diners — this is a recipe that will soon be committed to memory.