Give Lasagna A Richer Flavor With A Little Help From One Affordable Meat

If you survey a group of people about how they like their lasagna, you'll probably get different answers all around. With so many ways to stack meats, sauces, and cheeses between noodles and top it all with cheese, the flavor combos are multiple. But if you're looking for a way to deepen the meaty flavor of your favorite lasagna, pick up a package of chicken livers on your next grocery trip.

Yes, that's right, chicken livers — each a roughly 2-ounce piece of meat about a couple of inches across that used to be a side option on the original Kentucky Fried Chicken menu. These livers do have a distinct flavor that can be an acquired taste, described on one hand as sweet and bitter on the other. But before you write them off, know that they're also packed with nutritional value, including lots of protein and vitamins and minerals like B12 and iron. And, once you've chopped them in with your ground beef and maybe some pork, the taste simply acts as a flavor enhancement rather than a stand-out note on its own.

Chicken livers are also very affordable. A pack of just over a pound of chicken livers will likely cost you less than 5 dollars at your local grocery store — possibly cheaper than bulk sausage, ground beef, or other meats you use in your lasagna.

Because of their unique flavor, chicken livers have been a favorite of famous chefs like Jacques Pepin, Julia Child, Anthony Bourdain, and Emeril Lagasse. With the addition of chicken livers to your lasagna, you can go from a family comfort meal to something extra special.

So how do you incorporate this unique meat into the classic dish? The easiest way to do it is to make a hearty bolognese sauce. Believe it or not, chicken livers have been a popular choice as a bolognese-style ragu sauce add-in for decades, and if you like the depth of flavor it provides, it may become a staple in other Italian dishes you make.

You can use our classic lasagne recipe, and simply add in the chicken livers. For the rich ragu, start by heating oil and butter in a pan and sauteing vegetables. You can then add your meats of choice — including chopped chicken livers — to brown for around 10 minutes before gradually adding the rest of your ingredients and letting the sauce simmer for a long time to develop flavor. When it comes time to building your lasagna, you'll have a hearty sauce that's filled with a deep meaty flavor combined with the familiar notes of ground beef, Italian sausage, veal, or whatever meats you usually use.

And if the idea still isn't floating your boat, why not have a look at a few more cheffy tips to elevate your next homemade lasagna.