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Food Network chefs often have interesting takes on dishes and secret tricks that turn an ordinary meal into something so much better. For example, celebrity chef Guy Fieri highlighted the underrated pantry ingredient of powdered chicken stock for its ability to build serious flavor. He has also shared that you should consider adding pepperoni to your lasagna for an easy burst of salty richness.
Traditional lasagna usually includes a few main ingredients, such as ground beef, tomato sauce, and ricotta — though there has been some debate over béchamel vs. ricotta in lasagna — plus some other herbs and cheeses. Of course, variations exist, and depending on personal preference, you can swap in almost anything you want. Fieri opts to use Italian sausage instead of ground beef, likely because sausage offers a fattier, saltier taste that makes for a more savory dish. Then, he adds pepperoni to his lasagna recipe, but he doesn’t just pull it out of the package or slice it cold and add it in. He takes one key step first to build the best texture and flavor in every bite.
Guy Fieri adds pepperoni to his lasagna
Pepperoni 101 explains that this meat is a combination of beef and pork infused with plenty of spices, then dried and cured. The result is a spicy, slightly tangy bite that’s most commonly served on a pizza but can have a place on anything from a charcuterie board to a sandwich. Guy Fieri also prefers to add it to his lasagna recipe in layers.
Before building the lasagna, Fieri fries the pepperoni; the crispy texture sits nicely against softer ingredients like the lasagna and cheese. Then, he adds it to each layer of the dish, ensuring the flavor is dispersed throughout and can be a part of each bite. Pepperoni sits atop the lasagna as it bakes, resulting in an extra crispy top layer that adds more crunch to the overall dish. For ease, you can grab pre-sliced pepperoni in a package, but for the best taste, use a high-quality pepperoni like Foustman’s Salami Pork and Beef Pepperoni or Boar’s Head Natural Casing Pepperoni. Slice it yourself to control the thickness of each piece.
When crisping the pepperoni, there’s no need to add any oil; it has plenty of fat that will render as it heats, allowing it to fry up without any extra ingredients. This lasagna trick would also work with other cured meats, such as soppressata and salami. No matter what you use, just make sure to avoid these common mistakes everyone makes with lasagna.
