Once upon a time, the storied New York City restaurant Rao's was just a ten-table family eatery that might be the Big Apple's toughest reservation. The history of Rao's traces back to the Old Country and includes ties to the mafia. You likely still can't get a table at Rao's restaurant, but you can pick up their eponymous frozen dinners in your grocer's freezer case.
These meals are more expensive than usual microwave fare, but with good reason: They're of higher quality. Reading the ingredient list, everything is a whole-food ingredient with no additives. When it comes to Italian food, there's no question that fresh is the best.
Sometimes, however, you crave the speed and convenience that come from popping a frozen meal in the microwave and having something hot and tasty on your plate in under ten minutes. In those moments, you want an entree that has incredible flavor and good texture. Most of Rao's Homemade meals make the cut.
The one that really won our hearts, however, was the meat lasagna. What makes this dish so special is a focus on the details: A creamy, savory ricotta mix, noodles that don't overwhelm the dish, and a meat sauce that is bursting with flavor. Premium ingredients put the love in every bite.
You can't have lasagna without ricotta. It's a hot take that ricotta is the unsung star of any lasagna and has more power to make or break the dish than the sauce or noodles, but it stands up. Handled incorrectly, ricotta can be watery and flavorless.
In Rao's Homem.
