This Protein Addition Sounds Unusual, But It's Part Of Classic Italian Lasagna

Whether you can proudly boast Italian heritage or consider yourself a fan of the cuisine, everyone seems to have a secret ingredient that upgrades homemade lasagna. Some swear by cinnamon or nutmeg in the ricotta, others add anchovy for a richer tomato sauce, and Ina Garten swaps ground beef for turkey sausage.

What you don't hear about so much, however, is the addition of hard-boiled eggs, despite the fact that they are a common ingredient in traditional Italian lasagna recipes. What we know of as lasagna in the U.S. is based on lasagna bolognese, which hails from Emilia-Romagna in the north of Italy. Once you venture out of this area, you'll find that lasagna recipes vary significantly, and in the south of the country, these include hard-boiled eggs.

In Naples, this is the ultra-decadent lasagna napoletana. As a recipe usually reserved for carnevale and other special occasions, it's a celebration of rich (and expensive) ingredients. Layered between the pasta, along with the sliced hard-boiled eggs, you will find pork ragu, mini meatballs, salami, and up to four kinds of cheeses.

Sicilian lasagna is a less indulgent affair, but delicious, nonetheless. For Italians, what sets this recipe apart is the use of peas in the ragu, but with a layer of chopped hard-boiled eggs, spinach, and sometimes salami, you'll find this significantly different from the classic Italian-American lasagna.

There's no need to wait for a special occasion to add hard-boiled eggs to your lasagna; they can be easily incorporated into your favorite recipe — even if you prefer the northern Italian style. Hard-boiled eggs add a protein boost that makes the dish more filling, as well as adding a flavor contrast to the rich meat and tomato sauce.

Just as there are many local variations of lasagna, there are also different approaches to how hard-boiled eggs are included. They're commonly cut into slices so that when the lasagna is served, you can see the eggs in the cross-section, but if that's too confronting, you can finely chop the egg before layering or mash it into the sauce for a more subtle texture enhancement. To make eggs more of a feature, use them in one section to create a surprise middle layer in the lasagna, leaving the other layers with just meat and cheese.

If the addition of eggs is a hit, there's no need to stop at lasagna. Hard-boiled eggs are a common addition to other Sicilian pasta dishes, baked pasta in particular, including anelletti al forno and baked ziti.