Greek-Inspired Stifado Lasagna Recipe

We all know lasagna, and we probably all love lasagna, at least a little bit. It's hot, comforting, nostalgic, and certainly fills you up. However, its flavors are familiar and just might benefit from a refresh. When you hear you're having lasagna, you know what to expect — but what if you were pleasantly surprised by the steaming, saucy slice presented to you? Enter stifado lasagna, which takes inspiration from a hearty Greek beef stew to elevate this deliciously familiar dish. 

"Stifado is fovero (Greek for 'amazing')," says recipe developer Patterson Watkins. "Succulent, fork-tender chunks of beef and savory-sweet pops of pearl onion really elevate the traditional lasagna, while combining ricotta with crumbled feta adds a unique creamy-saltiness that makes every well-balanced bite that much more scrumptious." It's hard not to feel hungry after reading all that! Plan to cook the components of this recipe on a Saturday morning, then pop the lasagna in the oven in the evening for a stress-free dinner with company.

The central protein in this stifado lasagna recipe is stew beef, and to season it, you'll need salt, pepper, nutmeg, and allspice, plus bay leaves and pearl onions. The sauce comes together with red wine, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. The cheese mixture in this lasagna includes ricotta, feta, and shredded mozzarella, plus egg, minced garlic, and fresh oregano and parsley to spice it up. You'll also need some lasagna noodles and olive oil, plus extra fresh herbs for garnishing at the end.

Pat stew beef dry with paper towels.

Season beef with salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, nutmeg, and allspice.

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the seasoned beef and sear on all sides until brown, working in batches if necessary, about 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the beef from the pot and set aside to drain on paper towels.

Add onions to the pot and saute for 3 minutes.

Deglaze pot with wine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits left on the bottom of the pot.

Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and their juices, and tomato paste to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.

Once simmering, return the beef to the pot along with the bay leaves, stir to combine, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook stifado sauce, stirring occasionally, for 1 ½-2 hours or until the beef is fork-tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, place ricotta, feta, egg, garlic, oregano, parsley, and black pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Once cooked, pour about ¾ cup stifado sauce into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread out in an even layer.

Place a single layer of pasta on top of the sauce.

Top pasta with ⅓ of the ricotta mixture and spread out in an even layer.

Top ricotta with ⅓ of the remaining stifado sauce and spread out in an even layer.

Evenly sprinkle the stifado sauce with ⅓ of the shredded mozzarella.

Repeat steps 13-16 for the remaining 2 layers.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil (lightly spritzed with cooking spray on the underside to keep the cheese from sticking) and place in the oven to bake for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, remove the foil and increase the oven temperature to 425 F.

Return to the oven and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Garnish lasagna with chopped parsley and oregano before serving.

Pressed for time but still want to enjoy a delicious Greek-inspired lasagna? You're in luck: "You can absolutely make the stifado component ahead of time — I did!" says Watkins. "The stewing portion of this recipe takes a bit of time for the stew beef to reach that tender state. I allowed my stifado to cool to room temperature, stored it in a sealable container, and refrigerated it until I was ready to assemble the lasagna the next day."

Once you've made this lasagna, you probably want to know how long it lasts. "The lasagna should keep for a day or 2 in the refrigerator. I would reheat portions in the oven or toaster oven for the best results," Watkins adds. "Lasagna is a pretty good candidate for freezing too. I would wrap cut portions in plastic wrap with an outer layer of aluminum foil for maximum protection from issues caused by deep freeze." When you're ready to reheat it, just thaw it in the fridge first.

Onions are one of the most common ingredients around, but not every recipe calls for pearl onions in particular. When it comes to this lasagna, there's a reason for that: Stifado, the tomato-y, red wine-tinged Greek beef stew this recipe was inspired by, is traditionally made with these pearly little spheres. In addition to being smaller, they typically have a sweeter and more delicate taste than your average yellow or white onion.

Watkins encourages home cooks to stick with what the recipe calls for, noting that pearl onions are pretty easy to source. Watkins often uses her grocery store's frozen pearl onions that are whole and peeled, though she says you might also be able to find them canned. "If pearl onions are proving elusive, you can substitute with fresh, peeled cipollini onions (halved) or peeled shallots that have been quartered."