Nobody could be faulted for doubting Red Lion Smokehouse’s creation.
Lasagna? On a burger? The idea sounds fantastical.
The Lasagna Burger’s promotional image is downright intimidating, promising a hulking behemoth that leans and lurches like a certain tower from Pisa.
Thankfully, the burger comes together artfully, offering an experience both tasty and intriguing.
The Lasagna Burger stacks two smashed beef patties on top of a simple bun coated in pesto aioli.
Cheddar cheese is melted on both patties, with roasted red peppers and banana peppers lying atop the burger’s base.
Here, the burger’s all-star topping enters the picture: panko-breaded lasagna is deep-fried, then baked, drenched in spicy marinara, and finally sprinkled with parmesan cheese.
The burger is finally topped with lettuce and tomato.
The strange combination of flavours leaves this burger tasting more like a meatball sub or a veal parmesan than your average double cheeseburger.
The extreme marinara and parmesan cheese in particular lend the burger a certain sharp sweetness, though the marinara itself is not so spicy as to necessarily deserve the moniker “extreme.”
A satisfying crunch comes from the lasagna’s panko exterior, rounding out what is otherwise on the sloppier side.
While a deep-fried Lasagna Burger is unlikely to be a frequent craving like the average smash burger due to its strange niche, this creation skillfully sates the desires of both the burger-starved and the lasagna-deprived, offering something original, creative, and highly appetizing.
The Lasagna Burger comes with an unremarkable coleslaw.
The burger and slaw go for $23 plus tax at Red Lion Smokehouse, with $2 going to United Way.
