ISO Lasagna: To egg or not to egg

[Lisa110]

Hi all :)

I have been pondering this for a few days, and I want to know your opinions. I have been making all kinds of lasagnas for ages, and when it comes to my basic italian lasagna, I always add 1 or 2 eggs, (along with parsley, other cheeses and seasonings, AND depending on how many lbs of ricotta used) to the ricotta mixture. I've recently come across several recipes where eggs are not added, and I was wondering if anyone out there prefers the ricotta layer minus the eggs because maybe they find it creamier and a better choice, as eggs serve as a binder and solidify it a tad (???).

[buckytom]

lisa, i've never added eggs to my lasagna. i'm not sure why you need to bind the cheese layers as it is baked like a casserole, so nothing comes out the sides. i'll have to try that sometime to see if it makes a textural difference.

[amber]

I've always added an egg to my mixture, though I think it would be fine without it.

[middie]

i always add an egg to the ricotta cheese because that's what everybody else in my family did. i never knew it was optional lol.

[Michelemarie]

I always add egg - I think I tried it once and the consistency wasn't as creamy, maybe more dry, I can't really remember exactly, I just remember that from that point on I used egg.

[kimbaby]

I always add 1 egg in the ricotta mixture

[Piccolina]

If I've got eggs in the fridge I'll usually add one or two. I've also just used egg whites whiched worked well too, both do seem to help bind the cheese a little better (especially true if you're using cottage cheese instead of ricotta).

[Lisa110]

I just spoke to my italian chef pal, who had been away for about a month, and he said using eggs is better because, believe it or not, it actually makes it creamier (quite the opposite of what I thought!), and it holds it's shape for presentation (that perfect square), instead of oozing out in a liquidy way, as the cheese separates a little without the eggs. He said the eggs make a much much smoother consistency, and sometimes he uses 6 eggs to 2 lbs of ricotta! Hmmm..interesting. I was thinking of making two small test lasagnas and having my family and friends decide which they prefer. :)

[urmaniac13]

Well, personally I never used eggs in my lasagne, except for adding it to the pasta sheet when I make it by myself. However lasagne is one of those recipes where there is no definitive method, one of those recipes where each and every household has their own recipe which each of them consider it to be "truly authentic and the best". So if yours works and tastes good with eggs, that would be great!! Maybe I will try that someday myself!!

[mish]

Originally Posted by Lisa110

I just spoke to my italian chef pal, who had been away for about a month, and he said using eggs is better because, believe it or not, it actually makes it creamier (quite the opposite of what I thought!), and it holds it's shape for presentation (that perfect square), instead of oozing out in a liquidy way, as the cheese separates a little without the eggs. He said the eggs make a much much smoother consistency, and sometimes he uses 6 eggs to 2 lbs of ricotta! Hmmm..interesting. I was thinking of making two small test lasagnas and having my family and friends decide which they prefer. :)

I usually, not always, add an egg to the ricotta/cheese mixture. Both ways taste good to me - w or w/o. IMO, 6 eggs to 2 lbs of riccota sounds like waaay too much. Then, again, I add a few cheeses to the mixture, sometimes mushrooms and garlic in addition to herbs, as well. It is probably a matter of taste. Perhaps the egg(s) give it a puffier texture, and the whites bind it together, IMO.