Traditional Lasagna
This traditional lasagna recipe is easy to make and uses cheap everyday ingredients to create a delicious dish. I’m not going to lie to you and say this is quick because it isn’t, but it’s worth every minute when you taste the final product. This lasagna recipe does contain alcohol, and substitutes are included, making this recipe accessible to everyone.
Lasagna
Ingredients
Meat Sauce
- 30 ml Olive Oil
- 1 ½ Brown (Yellow) Onion Diced or Grated
- 1 rib Celery Diced or Grated
- 2 Carrots Diced or Grated
- 500 g Beef Mince 10% Fat
- 500 g Pork Mince 18% Fat
- 250 ml Dry Red Wine
- 1.2 kg Diced Tomato or Passata Canned
- 250 ml Beef Stock
- 250 g Mozzarella Cheese Grated
- 150 g Provolone Cheese Grated
- 75 g Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano Grated
- 1 box Fresh Lasagne Sheets Enough for 3 Layers
Bechamel Sauce (White Sauce)
- 800 ml Full Fat Milk
- 90 g Unsalted Butter Cubed
- 90 g Plain Flour All Purpose
- ½ Brown (Yellow) Onion
- 2 Bay Leaves Dried
- 3 Whole Cloves
- 1 g Ground Nutmeg
- 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano Grated
Method
Meat Sauce
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, and a pinch of salt, and sauté for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beef and pork mince and cook, breaking it up, for 8 minutes.
- Pour in the red wine and cook for 5 minutes, or until reduced by ⅔. Check and adjust the seasoning. Add the crushed tomatoes or passata and mix well. Bring to a simmer, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1¼ hours, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the lid, stir well, and check and adjust the seasoning. Add the beef stock or water, mix well, and cook uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
Bechamel Sauce
- To make an onion cloute, take ½ a brown onion and pin the bay leaves onto it using the whole cloves as pins.
- Pour the milk into a saucepan, add the onion cloute, and place over medium heat until the milk is lukewarm. Remove from the heat and remove the cloute — this can be saved and used in a stock.
- Melt the butter in a separate saucepan over medium heat, then add the flour. Mix well to form a roux and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
- Add two ladles of the warm milk to the roux, mixing until fully incorporated before adding more. Repeat until all the milk has been added. Once smooth, remove from the heat. Grate in the Parmesan, season to taste, and mix through until melted.
Assembling the Lasagna
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a large baking dish with butter or oil (a 30cm x 20cm dish is recommended).
- Spoon 1–2 ladles of meat sauce into the bottom of the dish and spread evenly. Cover with a layer of lasagne sheets, without letting them overlap much. Pour over one ladle of bechamel and spread to cover the sheets entirely. Sprinkle over a little grated mozzarella and provolone. Repeat the process — meat sauce, lasagne sheets, bechamel, and a scattering of mozzarella and provolone — finishing with a layer of bechamel on top.
- Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 25–30 minutes. Remove the foil and grate over enough Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano to cover the top. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove and let cool slightly before serving.
- Serve on plates or in bowls with salad and garlic bread, or on its own. Garnish with basil. Dig in.
Chef's Tips
Let the ragu go the full time, low and slow — the flavour really does deepen over that near-2-hour cook, and rushing it with higher heat will brown the sauce instead of developing it.Bring the milk just to lukewarm before adding it to the roux, not to a boil — adding cold or scalding milk to a roux is what causes lumps, and a gentle warm-to-warm transition keeps the bechamel smooth.Let the finished lasagna rest for 10–15 minutes before cutting into it — it needs that time to set, and slicing straight out of the oven is what causes it to fall apart on the plate instead of holding a clean layer.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months, either as a whole assembled lasagna (baked or unbaked) or in individual portions.To reheat, cover with foil and warm in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for 20–25 minutes if refrigerated, or 45–50 minutes from frozen, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes to re-crisp the top. A microwave will heat it through faster but won't bring back the same texture on the top layer. If baking from frozen, it's fine to go straight in without thawing first, just add extra time.
Serving 550gCalories 773kcalCarbohydrates 42.3gProtein 49.9gFat 44.1gSaturated Fat 22.5gPolyunsaturated Fat 2.48gMonounsaturated Fat 13.97gTrans Fat 1.4gCholesterol 175.3mgSodium 985.8mgPotassium 1206.6mgFiber 6.4gSugar 11gVitamin A 2532IUVitamin C 24.77mgCalcium 729.1mgIron 6.8mg
The above nutrition guide is based on daily averages and is calculated for a single portion.
Recipe Notes
Traditional Lasagna Storage Instructions
Place the lasagna into airtight containers and place it in the fridge for up to 3 days. As for freezing, place into airtight containers and store in the freezer for up to 4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Traditional Lasagna Reheating Instructions
Place the lasagna into an oven set at 180.c (350.f) for 10-15 minutes. If you’re reheating it this way, creating a marinara or tomato sauce to pour over the top and give it some rehydration is beneficial (optional). Alternatively, place the lasagna into the microwave in bursts until hot in the centre.
Additional Notes
- If you’re using store-bought dried lasagna sheets, follow the instructions to prepare them before assembling the lasagna. Some sheets don’t require prior blanching, so check the instructions carefully; otherwise, you could end up with uncooked lasagna.
- If you can’t consume alcohol. Beef, vegetable or chicken stock can be used.
- You’re welcome to finish the top layer with the ragu. Each to their own.
Watch How To Make The Recipe
Did You Like This Recipe?
Please take a second to leave a comment and rating below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.