One of the most loved foods in the world is finally here! This is a beautiful Italian Lasagna with layers of slow cooked Ragù Bolognese and Besciamella cheese sauce. Though patience is required, it is quite straight forward to make as you will see in the recipe video!
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Traditional Italian lasagna
Lasagna, lasagna. How I love thee! It is possibly one of the most loved foods in the whole wide world, and understandably so. There is just something so sentimental about lasagna, so comforting. It evokes images of of gatherings with family and friends all around the world. It is the sort of food that is like a big warm hug, and so more-ish you want to keep digging in until you burst.
Lasagna just rocks. Full stop.
And if you’ve never tried a homemade one before, that needs to change! If you can make spaghetti bolognese, you can make lasagne. It just requires a wee bit more patience.
OK, bit more than a wee bit more patience. But it’s totally worth it. A real homemade Lasagna is epic.
Homemade Lasagna – three parts
There are 3 components to making lasagna:
The meat sauce;
The white sauce – creamy and thick, but no cream required!
Assembling and baking.
What goes in lasagna
The Meat Sauce is basically just like Bolognese. You need:
Onion, garlic, carrot and celery – for the flavour base, a soffrito;
Beef
Canned tomato and tomato paste
Red wine – for extra flavour!
Seasonings – beef bouillon cubes (stock cubes), bay leaves, thyme, oregano, Worcestershire sauce
For the white sauce, you need:
butter
flour
milk
cheese
For assembling, you need:
lasagna sheets – preferably fresh (from the fridge section of grocery stores) but dried works just fine too
cheese!
How to make lasagne
See? I told you the meat sauce is just like making Bolognese! Though here, we cook that meat sauce long and slow, to develop incredible rich flavours and make the beef melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Layering up!
And here’s how you layer it up:
Smear a bit of meat sauce on the base first – stops the lasagna sheets from sliding around;
Layer 1 – top with meat sauce, bit of white sauce
Layer 2 – lay out more lasagna sheets, then top with more meat sauce and more white sauce
Layer 3 – repeat again, lasagna sheets, meat sauce then white sauce; and
Topping – cover with lasagna sheets, pour over remaining white sauce then sprinkle with cheese.
Pop it in the oven, and THIS is what comes out….
That moment when you cut into the golden bubbly cheesy top and you serve up a piping hot, oozy, meaty slice of lasagna….
That’s a little bit of food heaven, right there.
Lasagna first timers, the recipe video below will be super helpful. ❤️ Trust me, you got this. – Nagi xx
PS Also happens to be one of the nicest food gifts you can make for someone. Freezes 100% perfect, and is a huge step up from the usual simple casseroles. Right? 😉
Watch How To Make It
This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!
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Lasagna
Ingredients
Ragu Bolognese:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion , finely chopped (white, yellow or brown)
- 1 medium carrot , peeled and very finely diced
- 1 celery stick , very finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 kg / 2 lb beef mince (ground beef) (Note 1)
- 800g / 28 oz canned crushed tomato
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup pinot noir red wine , or other dry red wine (Note 2)
- 3 beef bouillon cubes , crumbled
- 2 bay leaves , dried or fresh
- 1/2 tsp EACH dried thyme and oregano
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 – 2 tsp sugar (if needed – Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper
Cheese Sauce (Besciamella):
- 60g / 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 4 cups milk , preferably full fat but low fat ok
- 2 cups gruyere or Colby cheese , shred yourself (or cheddar, Monterey Jack, OR 1 cup / 100g shredded parmesan) (Note 4)
- Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- Salt and pepper
Lasagna:
- 350g/ 12 oz fresh lasagna sheets (or 250g/8oz dried) (Note 5)
- 1 1/2 cups (tightly packed) mozzarella cheese , shred yourself (Note 4)
- Finely chopped basil or parsley , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
Ragu:
- Heat oil in a large heavy based pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, celery and carrots. Cook for 10 minutes until softened and sweet – they should not brown (if they do, turn heat down).
- Add beef, turn heat up and cook the beef, breaking it up as you go.
- Once the beef has all turned brown, add the remaining Ragu ingredients EXCEPT the sugar.
- Stir then adjust the heat so it is bubbling very gently. Place the lid on and cook for 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring every now and then, then remove the lid and simmer for 30 minutes.
- The ragu is ready when the meat is really tender and the sauce has thickened and is rich – see video for consistency (Note 6). Adjust salt and pepper to taste, and add sugar if required (Note 3)
Cheese Sauce:
- Warm milk up in a saucepan (optional – just makes sauce thicken faster).
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat. Add flour and mix constantly for 1 minute.
- Pour about 1 cup of the milk in, mixing as you go to incorporate into the flour mixture. Once mostly lump free, add remaining milk. Use a whisk if needed to make it lump free.
- Turn heat up to medium high. Stir occasionally at first then regularly after a few minutes until sauce thickens – about 5 – 8 minutes. It should coat the back of the wooden spoon.
- Remove from heat, add cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mix until the cheese is melted. The Sauce should be thick but still easily pourable – the consistency of heavy cream (you need to be able to drizzle it over the Ragu when layering – see video). If it’s too thick, add a splash of water or milk.
Assemble:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Use a 33 x 22 x 7 cm / 13 x 9 x 2.5″ baking dish.
- Smear a bit of Ragu on the base, then cover with lasagna sheets. Tear sheets to fit.
- Spread over 2 1/2 cups of Ragu (enough to cover sheets), then drizzle over 1 cup of Cheese Sauce.
- Top with lasagna sheets (Note 7). Spread with another 2 1/2 cups of Ragu, then 1 cup of Cheese Sauce. Top with lasagna sheets then repeat 1 more time.
- Top with a 4th layer of lasagna sheets, then pour over the remaining Cheese Sauce.
- Sprinkle with Mozzarella, then bake for 25 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
- Stand for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting and serving, garnished with basil or parsley if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life Of Dozer
He just sprawls across the floor when he sleeps. No curling up cutely, chin on paw, like all those cute doggy pics you see all over the internet. Nope, this one just collapses and sprawls out right in my line of path (straight line from kitchen to table is over him – of course).
Hi, Nagi! This is the best lasagna ever. I do have a question. The second time I made this, it ended up too saucy. Taste so good still but there’s just too much sauce it went runny. What did I do wrong? First attempt to make this went out perfect.
Hi Christa – I’m sorry to hear that! Did you cook the sauce to the consistency shown in the video?? Sometimes even something like the strength of the oven or the type of pot you use can affect how quickly the liquid reduces 🙂 N x
Making this right now. The Ragu is bubbling away. Can’t wait to eat dinner tonight.
I’ve made 3 of your asian takeaway dishes so far.
Recipes are so easy to follow and taste amazing.
Thanks Nagi for your recipes
That’s wonderful to hear Rachael! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this! N x
Hubby is a bbq steak man and tells me he’s always hated lasagne. Ive made this recipe for the third time now and he says “its the only lasagne he’ll ever eat” hahaha
Biggest Praise. EVER!!! 😂
Oh and ive managed to get two dinners out of this recipe. I assembled in two smaller baking trays and froze one for another day. Feeds 3 people (2 adults and 1 very hungry toddler)
Nagi, made this recipe twice and it never failed us! thanks much 😊
That’s terrific! So pleased you enjoyed this Sheila – N x
Trying this recipe tonight! It’s smelling gorgeous! The video is so helpful!
I hope you love it Hannah!!
Love this recipe. Will be the next one I make. Thanks Nagi.
Forgot to say that I was really interested in your comments about tasty cheese and the “floury” taste in my Bechamel sauce!!! Hadn’t put it together! I have been using a blend of Colby and Parmesan in my bechamel sauces recently as I like the flavours but hadn’t twigged to the sauce not having a floury taste!! Thanks 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
That is a perfect lasagne recipe,I cannot bear the ricotta one,it has to be a nice cheesy bechamel sauce,your recipes are really fantastic Nagi 😊
I don’t get the ricotta version at all! 🙂 Glad we agree on that!
Hi Nagi,
We tried your lasagna recipe for the first time two nights ago. To be honest, it was the BEST lasagna we have ever eaten!!!!!!
I do have a question. I am not a big fan of carrots, so what would happen if we left out the carrot?
Big hugs to you and Dozer!
Barbara from Estonia
That will be fine to leave out carrot Barbara! I’m so glad you love this, I have a BIG soft spot for lasagna! N xx
I came across your Lasagne recipe a few months ago and it has become a weekly staple in our household ever since! The ragu is simly devine! I have found I always have leftover cheese sauce so now I cook 1.5 times the meat and make a half size moussaka at the same time. This is hands down the best recipe I have ever found online – great job!!!
Hey Nagi,
Not sure if you’re aware, in the ragu instructions it says to cook covered 2.5hrs, then lid off for 30 mins.
But in vid, it’s says cook for 1.5-2hrs, then 30 with lid off..
Can’t believe you’re the first to pick that up, thanks! It’s 1.5 – 2 hours 🙂 N x Though it could go for 2.5!
I absolutely love each and every recipe I’ve made of yours. Thanking you for delicious foods . Best lasagna I’ve ever made!
Could I use tawny port in place of the red wine?
Your tab one one of five I had opened, all lasagne recipes, titles reading from “BEST lasagna recipe” to “Classic Lasagna”.
After reading your article & recipe, I immediately closed all other tabs and committed this one to my secret Pinterest recipe book.
Your writing style is incredible and I can;t wait to try this recipe tonight!
Hope you love this Kathleen! Really is one of my signature recipes! 🙂 N xx
Made this tonight!…well, I made the ragu yesterday and put it together today…and holy weaponry batman!!…This was absolutely delish!! I just LOVE ragu and cheese sauce together…heaven…i even sometimes mix cheese sauce into the spaghetti when having spag bol 😅
But nothing beats a good Lasagne, and this is the ONE. Thank you!!
YES YES YES!!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Jax 🙂 I have a big soft spot for this recipe!! N xx
And actually, I only had 500g beef, so substituted the other 500g with lentils and fried mushrooms. No one knew it wasn’t all beef!🤗
Quick question – can I prepare and assemble the lasagna in the morning, put it in the fridge, and bake it 8 hours later for dinner? Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to dive in!!
Hi Kate! You sure can – just make sure to use fresh lasagna sheets (not instant dried) and also let the sauce cool a bit before layering, this way it reduces absorption into the lasagna sheets until you pop it in the oven 🙂 N x
BEST LASAGNA EVER!!!
I add a tsp of ground fennel to this recipe too 😊
Tried your recipe, it is just beautiful and so yummy.
I am making it again it is the only recipe for lasagne I will use from now on,
It does take a bit of time cooking but well worth the wait.
My who family just loves it, well done.
Thank you for publishing it.
Hope you get this in time, I am making this for tomorrow for my pre-Easter fest. I bought fontina for the cheese….will that work? I am a bit confused on what type of chess you like for the béchamel.
**I made a recipe like this YEARS ago that I got from an Italian chef that visited our area…and everyone loved it (and I made it for Italians visiting from Italy, some that couldn’t speak English well!!!) I lost it and I haven’t been successful in replicating it since. This recipe is VERY close and I am betting my group will love it. Thank you!
Fontina will be great! Melts beautifully!
Really loved the recipe. I made a few changes because I’m not a meat lover. Reduced the meat by half and added spinach. My husband would’ve preferred more meat, but life’s about compromise. Lol. This a fantastic recipe, in my opinion the best lasagna I’ve ever had.
That’s terrific to hear Amy! So glad you enjoyed this – N x
I have been looking for a recipe like this,with cheese sauce. We had this type of Lasagna when we was over seas and loved it. I have never seen fresh lasagna noodles in a store, where do you get yours? Can’t wait to try this!