BIG flavours, rich, moreish and filling. The ultimate comfort food. There are many different ways to make 'the best lasagna' and this is my version that is much loved by me and my family. Making lasagna at home does not have to be difficult or daunting. I've laid all the steps out here so you can make a perfect, crowd-pleaser every time!
Sure, store-bought lasagne are great but when it's homemade, you get to pack way more meat into each layer! Look at those layers and chunks of saucy meat!
If you're a pasta bake lover, also check out my Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake that's packed with flavour and cheesy goodness. Can't get enough of bolognese? Try my easy Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe for hearty and juicy meatballs!
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Ingredients
- Beef mince (ground beef) is my go-to choice of meat as it's simple. Skip the lean mince, go for the fattier variety. Fat = flavour. Or, get adventurous and mix things up! Give the below amazing alternatives a try!
- Half beef and half pork - pork adds a touch of sweetness and an additional layer of flavour. Pork mince is also nice and fatty which does wonders!
- Half beef and half sausage meat - Another popular combo. Sausage meats give a tone of amazing flavour into the bolognese (or ragu). Pick the quality, Italian sausages for the most authentic touch!
- Passata also known as tomato puree. It's rich and thick in texture which works brilliantly in bolognese/ragu, giving it a creamy sauce.
- Fresh basil highly recommend using fresh and not dried. It is extremely aromatic and goes amazingly well with the overall dish. Plus, it's quintessential Italian! You gotta use fresh basil in your lasagna!
- Balsamic vinegar helps balances out the tartness and smooths the acidity of the tomatoes in the bolognese. You'd think acid with acid makes extra acidic but beats me, it just works!
- Worcestershire sauce is a fantastic condiment that adds a different layer of flavour into the bolognese. It's tangy, sweet, savoury and a little salty. I like to think of it as a BBQ sauce and soy sauce hybrid. Kind of a 'Western soy sauce' that is used in very small quantities (there are many Asian recipes that uses a lot of soy sauces). Anyway, it makes the bolognese awesome.
- Lasagne sheets can use either dried or fresh sheets. I've got a preference for dried lasagne sheets as they can be stored in the pantry and has a slightly more firm texture compared to fresh ones.
- Cheddar cheese is a trusty, robust cheese to add to the bechamel sauce. Other types of fatty cheese work well too such as shredded mozzarella cheese. Note, this is a more traditional recipe so a lasagna without ricotta cheese!
Step by step instructions
There are 3 core parts to making a lasagna:
- The bolognese (meat sauce)
- The bechamel sauce (white sauce)
- Assembly (the masterpiece)
Making the bolognese
Unlike the usual 'proper' bolognese (like my Spaghetti Bolognese), the bolognese here skips the use of celery and carrots. Reducing the prep time and less chopping. After trying out this Buffalo Mozzarella Lasagna recipe, I was sold on the idea of skipping celery and carrots in my bolognese. It tasted so good. So don't think for a second the taste will be compromised! This bolognese is packed with so much flavour, it's moreish, rich and sooo good!
The key ingredients to making this meat sauce AMAZING is the use of beef stock cubes (stock bouillon), worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. These 3 really elevates the sauce. Of course, perfectly balanced with sugar, salt and black pepper.
To begin, sweat the onions on low heat for about 7 minutes then brown the mince on high heat. Make sure to break them at the start to get as much caramelisation as you can. Add remaining bolognese ingredients, bring up to boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Stirring every 5 minutes or so, without lid.
Whilst the bolognese is simmering away, get started with the bechamel sauce.
Making the bechamel sauce
To ensure there are no lumpy bits, always use a whisk when making this creamy white sauce. A bechamel sauce is actually quite simple to make.
In a small saucepan, melt butter then whisk in flour. Once a thick paste is formed, slowly add milk in, whisking constantly. This will ensure the 3 ingredients work together and no one's left out/no lumpy bits.
Once the sauce is thick (if it generously coats the back of a spoon then it's good to go), turn the heat off, add shredded cheddar cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well. The cheese will melt into the bechamel sauce and taste really good.
Time to layer up!
Create a workstation with the meat sauce, white sauce and lasagne sheets within arm's length. A standard oven dish size is perfect to use, roughly 27x33cm (9x13 inches).
A general rule of thumb, a lasagna has at least 3 layers. This recipe makes 4 thick, generous layers.
To avoid any sticky bottoms, first, coat the dish with a layer of bolognese. Then top with a single layer of lasagne sheets. Start with filling the tray with whole sheets then break more sheets apart to fill in the gaps. Coat the sheets with a thin layer of bechamel sauce. Repeat this 3 more times.
This means use about ¼ of bolognese per layer. Having said this, I always make the first layer (image #9 below) the thinnest. This way the 3 remaining (let's be frank, the layers that truly matters) layers will be loaded with the meat sauce.
After the 4th layer of lasagne sheets have been laid, pour the remaining bechamel sauce all over the dish. You want this layer to be the thickest. So about half of the bechamel sauce made.
Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese all over then bake at 180°C/350°F for 40 minutes or until golden.
A quick thing about thin layers of the bechamel sauce in each layer. This does a few noteworthy things:
- Adds creaminess to each layer.
- Cuts through the acidity of the tomato-based sauce (even more after the work of balsamic vinegar!)
- The milk-based sauce helps tenderise the meat in the bolognese. Using milk to tenderise meats is a common practice and a technique I shared to help speed up the cooking time in my Spaghetti and Bolognese recipe!
Fun fact: Mexican chefs braises pork with a little milk (plus other good stuff such as spices and orange juice) when making pork carnitas! Milk breaks down the muscle tissues within the pork and thus softening it quickly into pull-apart goodness.
Tips for making this perfect every time
- Always use freshly grated cheeses. Ready shredded cheeses from the supermarkets have added anti-caking agents to stop cheeses from sticking together. These anti-caking agents give the cheese a slightly grainy texture and they don't melt as well. So best buy cheese blocks and grate at home. It's more economical and you get a far superior ingredient!
- If using fresh mozzarella cheese, layer it into the lasagna instead of melting it in the bechamel sauce. Fresh mozzarella cheeses turn grainy in the bechamel sauce. A mistake I will not make again!
- Stir the bolognese every 5 minutes whilst it is simmering, without the lid. This does 2 things. A) stops the sauce from sticking at the bottom. B) simmering without the lid will help the sauce to reduce and thicken. No soggy lasagna here!
- Constantly whisk the bechamel sauce when the heat is on to avoid any burnt bottoms.
- REST THE LASAGNA FOR 20 MINUTES before cutting and serving! If anything, this is the most important tip. Patience is key here! I've done it plenty of times; not letting the lasagna set and serving it as soon as it's out of the oven. Mind you, the taste was fantastic but instead of the perfect layers, you get a plate of blob! 😀
Good to know (FAQs)
After resting for at least 20 minutes (don't worry, it'll still be nice and hot), use a sharp knife to cut and divide. Then, using the blade of the knife, slide along the rims of the baking dish to help loosen the sides.
To serve, best use a thin spatula like a fish turner or a cake spatula. This will help with making a clean scoop!
Absolutely! Once the lasagna is assembled, top with a sheet of baking paper and then tightly wrap with cling wrap (plastic). Keeps well in the fridge for about 3 days. When ready to bake, let the tray warm up on the kitchen bench for about 30 minutes before baking.
Yes you can! However, make sure to use hard mozzarella (those that can be grated) and not fresh mozzarella. Adding fresh mozzarella into bechamel sauce will turn the whole sauce grainy! All that hard work in making a smooth bechamel sauce will be ruined! Hard mozzarella however will melt nicely and smoothly. As mentioned above, if you want to use fresh mozzarella cheese, best layer it into the lasagna separately.
Leftovers/freezing
Any leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days (but best eat before then!) or 3 months in the freezer. Be sure to store the lasagna in an air-tight container. This recipe makes 12 sensible servings or 8 super generous servings. The perfect once a week lunch to keep in the freezer!
Made this recipe? Let me know your thoughts or questions by dropping a note in the comments section below! I'd love to hear from you 🙂
Happy cooking and eating! - Gen
📖 Recipe
Lasagna
Ingredients
Bolognese (meat sauce)
- 1 kg /2lb beef mince fatty, see (note 1) for more options
- 2 onions finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 425g/15oz
- 700 ml /24oz passata aka tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 beef stock cubes
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
Bechamel sauce (white sauce)
- 4 cups milk
- ⅓ cup plain flour
- 60 g /4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup cheddar cheese freshly grated, (note 2)
- salt and pepper
Lasagna
- 250 g /8oz dried lasagne sheets or 375g/13oz fresh lasagne sheets
- 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, (note 2)
Instructions
Making the bolognese
- Sweat the onions in olive oil on low heat for about 7 minutes or until soft and translucent. Stir through garlic for 1 further minute.
- Add beef mince, break the mince apart with a spatula and brown on high heat.
- Add salt, pepper, worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar and flour. Saute on high heat for about 1 minute.
- Reduce heat to medium, add crushed tomatoes, passata, crushed beef stock cubes and roughly torn basil leaves. Bring up to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 or so minutes.
Making the bechamel sauce
- Whilst the bolognese is simmering away, get started on the bechamel sauce.
- Melt butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Stir in flour with a whisk until a thick paste is formed.
- Slowly add milk into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Continue to cook on medium heat until the sauce thickens, all whilst whisking with a whisk. This will take about 6 or 7 minutes.
- Once the sauce is thick (note 3), turn the heat off, add cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Assembling the lasagna
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. A standard sized baking dish is ideal to use, at approx. 23x33cm (9x11inch).
- To make the first layer, coat the base of the baking dish with a thin layer of bolognese. Then, lay a single layer of lasagne sheets, breaking up sheets to fill in the gaps. Now, coat the lasagne sheets with a thin layer of the bechamel sauce.
- To make the second layer, scoop (and spread evenly) about ⅓ of the remaining bolognese sauce into the baking dish. Lay the second layer of lasagne sheets, topped with a thin layer of the bechamel sauce.
- Repeat 2 more times.
- After the 4th layer of lasagne sheets have been laid, pour all remaining bechamel sauce (there should be about half left) on top of the sheets, forming that top thick layer.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese all over the bechamel sauce.
- Bake for 40 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven or until cheese blisters and turns golden.
- Allow lasagna to rest for at least 20 minutes before cutting and serving for the perfect layers!
Notes
- Half beef and half pork - pork adds a touch of sweetness and an additional layer of flavour. Pork mince is also nice and fatty which does wonders!
- Half beef and half sausage meat - Another popular combo. Sausage meats give a tone of amazing flavour into the bolognese (or ragu). Pick the quality, Italian sausages for the most authentic touch!
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