A glimpse at the wonder that is Maureen Elek's lasagna

When Bill Elek, Paste's Events Manager and Southeastern Sales guy, was asked to contribute his favorite festive bit of whatever for our December/January Paste 7, he didn't hesitate in making his selection: "My mom's lasagna." The rest of us weren't so sure, though. Whose mom doesn't have a go-to comfort food recipe she whips out every holiday? And how incredible could a pan of layered meat and cheese and pasta really be, anyway?

But then he showed us the photos. And then he uttered the words "fifteen pounds." And "recipe under lock and key." And "last year, my wife went up to Philly five days early to help with the sauce." And our hearts melted like big blobs of mozzarella.

Since press time, Bill consulted with his mother and learned that the total weight might be closer to 35 lbs. She should know: She's made this thing every single Christmas for the past 38 years. But really, at a certain point, do the specific dimensions even matter? Look at it. The thing is huge. It is magnificent culinary delight. It owns you.

But unless you're amongst the innermost cloisters of Maureen Elek's lasagna illuminati, you'll just have to keep on drooling: I practically had to sign away on my first-born just to hold the paper to transcribe the ingredient list below. Suffice it to say, the behemoth involves multiple layers of undisclosed proportions of the following ingredients, plus a sauce that takes several days to perfect:

• Lasagna noodles
• Whole milk ricotta
• Shredded mozzarella
• Grated pecorino romano
• Sausage
• Meatballs