When it comes to Italian food, sometimes I feel like Joey from Friends. Lasagne? GOOOOOOD! I also love to make lasagne, but it can be a lot of effort to make the bolognese or the ragu one day and then the pasta another day and bechemel and whatever else I decide needs to go in it. Sometimes I really want that instant lasagne gratification. Those days I’m more like Veruca Salt because I want it NOW! I had walked past Marcella’s Lasagneria many, many times and desperately wanted to try it. There were many pitfalls getting in my way, however, the first big one being covid. The second is that they are only open for lunch so I needed to find a day I could go have a giant lasagne lunch when they could be open for outdoor dining. That day finally arrived.
I definitely could have tried it for takeout I suppose, but I wasn’t sure how well it would travel or reheat. I know they also offer full-sized trays of lasagne to take home and make, but I didn’t want to invest in one if the lasagne wasn’t as amazing as I hoped for. If it was, then I was definitely ready for an entire tray to try to squeeze in my freezer.
They have a pretty decent selection of lasagne and other pastas on the menu, and while I was sorely tempted by some of the non-lasagne dishes, a friend of mine told me that the first time you go, you have to get the lasagne or you’ll be disappointed. Since there were two of us, we decided to order two different types and share! We ordered the Abruzzo lasagne with spicy sausage in a red sauce and the Bianca lasagne with pancetta in a white sauce. Both run close to $19 and are served with a green salad and some bread on the side.
It’s super casual and outdoor dining so the salad came on disposable plates which was fine. There were a lot of fresh vegetables, and while the salad wasn’t spectacular, it is nice that it comes with some greenery. The bread was pretty tasty though and the Italian dressing dips were tasty.
The lasagne comes in individual pans which is an interesting way to serve, plus the bottom gets a very sexy, crispy bottom. The crispy bits of the lasagne are the best so it’s nice to get some extra crispy bits from reheating. The Abruzza was amazing, and it was the one I started with. It was spicy and rich, yet the tomato sauce added a good amount of acidity to cut through all that richness. I almost didn’t want to share, but I also wanted to try the white lasagne. And while it was also very good, it was definitely more rich and creamy. It reminded me a bit of a Quiche Lorraine in lasagne form. I’m glad we shared, as it may have been a bit too decadent for lunch for one, but it was enjoyable none-the-less.
I’m a bit sad I didn’t try it out sooner, but a pandemic does make it difficult. I really enjoyed the lasagne, and I am definitely adding a full lasagne to the list sometime for easy, quick meals at home. It was way better than anything you’d get out of the freezer section, and while it’s not cheap, it was definitely worth it. I also want to try some of the other pasta dishes, but that may be difficult considering how delicious that lasagne really was. If you decide to try it out, be aware they are only open from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Tue-Sat, but if you order it for delivery, they will send it to you cold for you to reheat later!
Score: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Lasagne, Lasagne, Lasagne! And if you like spicy, the Lasagne Abruzza.
Marcella’s Lasagneria
1099 Tennessee St
San Francisco, CA 94107
