Building a movement takes organization, inspiration, intuition, luck, and a lot of hard work. Rhiannon Menn is the founder and CEO of Lasagna Love, a grass-roots not-for-profit organization that engages and supports communities across the United States, and which has launched a viral movement during the Covid-19 pandemic. She joins Corinna & Jules to talk about the power of community, leveraging tools like Facebook groups and Zapier, and the importance of asking for help when you need it.
You’ll hear how her volunteer organization leveraged their volunteers and the talents of students from her alma mater, MIT, to build an algorithm that would enable them scale their business and grow. Rhiannon even shares some news, including how using TikTok has helped Lasagna Love gain exposure and raise funds (with no strings attached) from an unlikely source, Kentucky Fried Chicken. As of the recording of this podcast, 215,000 lasagnas have been baked and delivered to people in need across the United States.
00:00 Introduction
04:00 Overcoming helplessness and launching a movement with love and lasagna
12:33 Tim Yewchuck’s The Perfect Week Method
16:55 How to connect with with media
19:05 Getting attention on TikTok
27:10 Rhiannon’s namesake — from Fleetwood Mac to the Salem Witch Trials
Resources Mentioned:
- Rhiannon Menn on Care More Be Better, Episode #10: https://caremorebebetter.com/love-lasagna-a-caring-community-with-rhiannon-menn-founder-of-lasagna-love/
- Tim Yewchucks The Perfect Week Method: https://timyewchuk.com/home
- Zapier automation tool: https://zapier.com
About Rhiannon Menn:
Rhiannon Menn is a mama, chef, and adventurer. She loves decaf coffee, traveling, and super fuzzy sweaters – which she unfortunately can no longer wear since she left New England. After the birth of her second child she had an epiphany: when she took good care of herself, she was much better at taking care of those around her. She founded Good to Mama as a way of changing the narrative about what it means to be a mom. In 2020, prompted by the COVID-related struggles of families in her community and her own feeling of helplessness, she founded Lasagna Love. A platform that connects neighbors for home-cooked meal delivery, Lasagna Love has transformed into a national movement of kindness, impacting thousands of volunteers and recipient families each week.
Rhiannon is a graduate of Berkshire Community College, Brown University, and MIT Sloan, and is a StartingBloc fellow and Siebel Scholar. She has been featured on the Today Show, the Kelly Clarkson Show, in the Washington Post, and on SouthernLiving.com. She lives in Kihei, HI with her husband, three children, and is relentlessly petitioning for a cat. You can find her online at www.begoodtomama.com and www.lasagnalove.org, or on Instagram @begoodtomama.
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Rhiannon’s Favorite Lasagna Recipe & KFC Inspired Lasagna Tutorial:
Lasagna Love
I love, and I mean LOVE, meat and veggie lasagna. Love. But if my kiddos – who are usually good veggie eaters – see green and yellow squash chunks in lasagna they will pick around them. I think it’s on principle. My daughter is a bit of a pasta purist.
So: I borrowed this little veggie cheat that I learned while teaching with Cooking Matters. In one of their recipes, they grate veggies and mix them with cheese to put in quesadillas. All kids love quesadillas, ergo: all kids will unknowingly eat grated veggies. I tried this out with my lasagna recipe – instead of chopping the zucchini and yellow squash, I grated it and mixed it with the mozzarella. After it’s baked I can’t even tell it’s there!! Healthier comfort food? YES PLEASE!
This is the lasagna I’ve been making and dropping off to mamas who need a little extra help during the time of coronavirus. So the name isn’t just about my love of lasagna – it’s about lasagna as a tool of love. If you want to support the cause, click here to donate to the grocery fund.
Ingredients
Sauce (Now let’s be fair. If you don’t have two hours to make your own sauce, buy a few jars of your favorite pre-made sauce and skip down to the rest of the ingredients.)
Olive oil
2 lbs ground beef, turkey, or mix (I use half and half)
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic
2 14.5oz or 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 24 oz jar of tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1/3 cup water
1 tbl agave
1 ½ tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
For assembly
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 zucchini, grated
1 yellow squash grated
Step 1
In a large pot, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the beef and turkey, breaking it up into small bits. Cook until the meat is browned. Add in the onion and garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 2
Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water. Mix thoroughly, as the tomato paste tends to stay in one clump. Add the agave, salt, and pepper. Simmer for an hour and a half, stirring every 10-15 minutes to prevent the bottom from burning.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 375º. Mix the ricotta and egg mixture together.
Step 4
Mix the shredded mozzarella and parmesan. Reserve one third of the mixture for the topping. To the other two thirds, add the grated zucchini and yellow squash.
Step 5
It’s layer time! In a 9×13 pan, put:
1 ½ cups of sauce
1 layer of noodles
½ of the ricotta mix
½ of the cheese and veggie mix
1 ½ cups of sauce
Another layer of noodles
The last ½ of the ricotta mix
The last ½ of the cheese and veggie mix
1 ½ cups of sauce
Another layer of noodles
Another 1 ½ cups of sauce
The reserved mozzarella and parmesan mix
Step 6
Cover with foil, tenting it so that it doesn’t stick to the cheese. Bake for 25 minutes with the foil, then remove the foil and bake for another 20-30 minutes until the top is golden and a little bubbly. Let it cool, then enjoy!
