RECIPE: Make ZuZZu’s Lasagna

ZuZZu’s Lasagna / Courtesy of Sam Stuhlman

Credit: Sam Stuhlman

Credit: Sam Stuhlman

ZuZZu’s Lasagna / Courtesy of Sam Stuhlman

My family and I love the lasagna at ZuZZu, a small restaurant on Oak Street in Roswell. This is the best lasagna that I’ve ever had, just perfect in the texture and taste of the meat sauce. The portion is quite large, enough for dinner and lunch the next day. It would be fabulous to have the recipe. Thank you. — Jenny Walter, Roswell

Sam Stuhlman, owner of ZuZZu, was happy to share the recipe, or at least, most of it. To reproduce this dish at home, you’ll need to make bechamel and Bolognese sauces. Stuhlman did not want to share his Bolognese sauce recipe but did tell us the restaurant’s Bolognese is made with ground beef. You can tailor this lasagna recipe by making the Bolognese your household prefers.

Bechamel is a smooth, white milk-based sauce that originated in Italy but is also widely used in French cooking. You’ll find recipes in many Italian and French cookbooks. The restaurant uses fresh frozen Italian lasagna noodles in this dish. Pasta making is a great pandemic cooking project, but if you don’t want to make your own, fresh pasta sheets are available from several places (usually with advance notice required) including Tuscany at Your Table, Storico Fresco and Whole Foods Market. The number of noodles you’ll need will vary by their size. You need enough to make six layers of noodles. Stuhlman says you can also find frozen lasagna noodles at many grocery stores.

One of the great things about lasagna is that it’s a good make-ahead dish. Prepare the pan of lasagna a day ahead of time, then refrigerate and pull out to bake when you’re ready to serve. This recipe makes an enormous pan of lasagna, but Stuhlman says it freezes perfectly. Make two smaller pans, or make one big pan and freeze baked servings. It’s up to you.

From the menu of ... ZuZZu, 42 Oak St., Roswell; 404-441-2609, zuzzuroswell.com.

Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of restaurant in the subject line.

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