Lasagna with rabbit ragù and mushrooms
- Energy Kcal 841
- Carbohydrates g 87.7
- of which sugars g 14.9
- Protein g 46.1
- Fats g 34
- of which saturated fat g 12.81
- Fiber g 9.5
- Cholesterol mg 181
- Sodium mg 781
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Serving: 6
- Note + the marinating time for the rabbit (2 hours or overnight)
PRESENTATION
Lasagna with rabbit ragu is one of those classic Ligurian dishes that feels like it could only come from a home kitchen somewhere on the coast of Italy. Really, it's all about layers—literally—with tender wild rabbit slow-cooked until it just falls apart, mixed with chiodini mushrooms that give a woodsy bite. And the salty kick from those little Taggiasca olives? People love that in Liguria. Add in cherry tomatoes for a pop of sweet flavor and that silky béchamel sauce that soaks right into the egg pasta sheets, and you get a rabbit ragu lasagna that’s hearty and full of personality.
Each bite is moist from the ragù and béchamel. You get that comforting, old-school taste that feels like someone’s nonna spent all day in the kitchen just for you. Seriously good.
In Liguria, this kind of mushroom lasagna is a real treat because rabbit isn't something you see every day, especially cooked this slowly. It’s how they feed a crowd or celebrate something special with the whole family. Folks take pride in using local ingredients, so when you get a lasagna with rabbit and mushrooms here, it’s going to taste like the woods and the coast at the same time. The earthy flavor of the rabbit and mushrooms mixes with the creamy béchamel and the golden, slightly chewy pasta layers for a dish that’s both fancy and totally homey.
People in Liguria might call this the best kind of homemade lasagna recipe—a dish that comes out of the oven crispy on top, tender in the middle, and smelling like something you just want to dive into. And look, it’s the kind of food that brings everyone to the table and keeps them there, telling stories and sneaking seconds. If you’re after a taste of real, traditional Italian lasagna, this rabbit and mushroom lasagna from Liguria checks all the boxes. So, next time you’re looking to impress with something unique and really really good, this dish will definitely do the trick.
Enjoy a meal that’s as much about the flavors as it is about the memories it creates. For real.
INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients for a 12x8 inch baking dish
- Lasagne egg pasta 18 oz (500 g)
- Rabbit 1.75 lbs (800 g) - boneless
- Pomodori di Pachino (cherry tomatoes) 1.1 lbs (500 g)
- Taggiasca olives 3.5 oz (100 g) - pitted
- Carrots 1 - small
- Celery ½ rib
- Onions ½
- Garlic 1 clove
- White wine 2 oz (60 ml)
- Sage to taste
- Rosemary to taste
- Thyme to taste
- Bay leaves to taste
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese to taste - for grating
- Extra virgin olive oil 3 spoonfuls
- Black pepper to taste
- Fine salt to taste
- For the rabbit marinade
- White wine 2 cups (500 ml)
- Celery 1 rib
- Onions ½
- Garlic 1 clove
- Thyme 2 sprigs
- Rosemary 1 sprig
- Sage 3 leaves
- Juniper 4 berries
- Ground black pepper to taste
- For the mushrooms
- Honey mushrooms 14.1 oz (400 g) - cleaned
- Garlic 1 clove
- Extra virgin olive oil 3 spoonfuls
- Parsley 2 spoonfuls - for chopping
- Fine salt to taste
- For the béchamel
- Whole milk 3.1 cups (750 ml)
- Type 00 flour ½ cup (70 g)
- Butter 3 ½ tbsp (50 g)
- Nutmeg to taste
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
How to prepare Lasagna with rabbit ragù and mushrooms
To prepare the lasagna with rabbit ragù and mushrooms, it is necessary to marinate the deboned rabbit for at least 2 hours or better yet overnight; keep the rabbit bones aside because you will need them for preparing the broth. For the marinade, clean and roughly chop half an onion, the celery, then take the sprigs of rosemary, thyme, 1 clove of garlic, a few black peppercorns, and the crushed juniper berries. Also cut the rabbit meat into strips 2, then into cubes and place it in a bowl, then add the aromatics you have prepared: the onion, celery 3, garlic,
the sage leaves, rosemary sprigs, thyme leaves, and juniper berries 4; then cover everything with white wine 5 and let it marinate for at least two hours or overnight 6, covered with plastic wrap and in the refrigerator.
To prepare the broth, pour the water into a pot, then add the rabbit bones, onion, celery, carrot, and a pinch of salt: simmer over very low heat for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, dedicate yourself to the mushrooms: clean the mushrooms by cutting off the end part 8, wash them; then blanch them for 15-20 minutes before pouring them into a large pan where you have lightly sautéed the chopped garlic with a drizzle of oil 9.
You can extend them with a little meat broth 10 to facilitate cooking, but they should cook for only a few minutes while remaining crunchy; adjust with salt and pepper, add the chopped parsley 11, mix, and turn off the heat. Now prepare the rabbit ragù: take the onion, half a stalk of celery, and a carrot 12 and finely chop them.
Do the same with garlic, sage, thyme, bay leaf, and rosemary 13. Drizzle a wide pan with a little oil, then add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, and the clove of garlic 14 and let the sauté simmer over low heat. Carefully drain the rabbit from the marinade, removing the aromatics 15.
When the sauté is wilted, add the rabbit 16 and the chopped aromatic herbs 17, then let it brown for 10-15 minutes 18.
Deglaze the meat with white wine 19, let it evaporate, then add the rabbit broth from time to time, cooking with the lid on 20, until the meat is very tender: it will take about 1 hour. Towards the end of cooking, wash and cut the cherry tomatoes into wedges 21,
add them to the rabbit ragù 22, then also add the pitted Taggiasca olives 23. Adjust with salt and pepper, then turn off the heat. Then focus on the Béchamel sauce: in a saucepan, heat the milk, flavor it with grated nutmeg 24, and salt and pepper to taste.
In another large saucepan, pour the butter and let it melt over low heat 25; once melted, sprinkle in the flour 26 and mix with a whisk to create the roux. When the mixture has slightly darkened and become more dense, pour in the hot milk 27.
Then continue mixing with the whisk to thicken the béchamel over low heat 28. Take a 12x8 inch baking dish and drizzle it with a little oil; distribute a layer of béchamel 29 and place a layer of lasagna 30.
Layer with a layer of rabbit ragù 31, one of mushrooms 32, then proceed by sprinkling with grated Parmesan and a few tablespoons of béchamel 33.
Start again with another layer of lasagna 34 and continue in the same order until you finish the ingredients, sprinkling with Parmesan and a few tablespoons of béchamel 35. Then bake the lasagna in a preheated static oven at 392°F for 30 minutes (if using a fan oven, at 356°F for about 20 minutes). Once cooked, take them out of the oven 36 and serve them hot!