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).
Jasmine says
Amazing, amazing, amazing!! The best lasagne I’ve ever eaten, beyond restaurant quality! So impressed my taste buds are still buzzing. I’ve tried a few of your recipes so far and they’ve all been incredible but this one omg! If I could eat the whole thing right now I would. Thank you so much for sharing.
Nagi says
Woah that’s so great to hear Jasmine! 🙌
Karsha says
Hi Nagi!
I’m about to make this recipe on the weekend for my family. But I am just wondering, why are 3 beef billion cubes required for the sauce? This seems like a lot and I’ve never seen it added to a sauce like this before? Thanks! 🙂
Nagi says
Hi Karsha, I use bouillon cubes to bring out the flavour – I promise it isn’t too much (just remember you have a kilo of beef and 800g tomatoes here) -N x
Karsha says
Perfect, I am making it this weekend! Will let you know how I go 🙂
Kath says
Hey Nagi
I just made this beloved recipe for fam on hols, and I have a non cheese eater ! So I made it in two pans, one with plain bechamel and other with cheese grated on top of it. It was also delicious without cheese and if anyone else needs to do this up the nutmeg and make sure the meat sauce is well seasoned
Nagi says
Great idea Kath!
Sarah says
Hands down the best lasagna I have ever made! I have finally found my go-to recipe. The flavours were amazing and it held together better than any of my previous attempts. I made mine with dried pasta sheets, but looking forward to another attempt with fresh pasta!!
Nagi says
Woah that’s so great Sarah!
Lin says
I love this recipe! I have 2 questions: can you bake it from frozen? And how long and how do you microwave it? I’m guessing it can’t be microwaved from frozen?
Nagi says
Hi Lin, Thaw first and then bake as per the recipe – N x
Indu says
As a first timer I will give five stars for the recipe. Love love love the taste.. real Italian , I was looking a recipe that contains some veggies in it, finally found one . Easy to understand, clear instructions. My Lasagna came out beautifully. My husband was over the moon. He loves lasagna.. you made my day!!
Nagi says
Hi Indu, thanks so much for the feedback, I’m so happy you loved it!
Jo says
I’m cooking the lamb shanks your way today, the smell is sooo good! How can I use leftover sauce to make lasagna?
Nagi says
That would be AMAZING Jo!
Emily says
Finally a really flavourful go to lasagne recipe. So so good! I don’t usually go on websites and leave a comment but this one deserves the 5 stars. Thank you for sharing.
Nagi says
You’re so welcome Emily, I’m so glad you enjoyed it – N x
Anne Marie says
We made this tonight for the family and my husband (the lasagna critic) LOVED it. I couldn’t help but humbly drop a few times that I made my own cheese sauce – now where’s that smug face emoji?! Haha. They loved it but felt I couldn’t take credit & to thank Nagi. (You’re officially a household name given I’ve cooked one of your recipes every night for the past week). Amazing! Thank you
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it Anne!
Julia says
Lasagna was delicious and the whole
Family loved it even the kids. My husband is Italian and he approved lives it. Thanks so much keep up the great work and recipes
Nagi says
That’s great news Julia!!
Danielle says
Made this & it’s awesome Nagi! What brand of bullion vibes do you use ?
Nagi says
Hi Danielle, I use Oxo brand – N x
Sandy says
Most of the family really enjoyed this. The small fussy one wasn’t 100% convinced but ate it any way. It is very filling, so there’s another family dinner and several single serves in the freezer too. Love a me ask that means I don’t have to cook another night!
Gladys Nkrumah says
Absolutely Amazing
Nagi says
Perfect Sandy!
Penang girl says
Made half the portion for dinner and it was my first attempt at making lasagna, Didn’t have worchester sauce nor nutmeg. Used Mainland Epicure tasty cheese. Other than that, followed recipe and the result… Epic Lasagna!!!
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it!!
Rabia says
First time made lasagna and i must say ir was alright. Needed a few adjustments however main concern was why my top layer of sheets were still hard??
Nagi says
Hi Rabia, sorry you had trouble here, the top layer should definitely not be hard – was it totally covered in sauce??
Terri says
I love this lasagne my partner is so fussy but he asked me to make it again and considering I normally use Jared sauces this was so simple and will be a constant meal in my home ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Nagi says
I’m so glad you loved it Terri!! No more jarred sauces for you!
Andre Madern says
Not gonna lie, this recipe is our go to for lasagne. I usually like to make the lasagne sheets as well.
Nagi says
Wahoo!!! That’s awesome Andre!
Kris says
This is my favorite go to recipe por lasagna :). If I’m too lazy I’ll just put the ragu sauce in a slow cooker on low for 8 hours. (After cooking meat and vegetables)
Nagi says
Perfect Kris!
Anna says
Made it today ,and it was amazing !!thank you!!
Nagi says
Great to hear Anna!
Frances Cebalo says
So delicious and melted in the mouth. Used a Syrah red wine and substituted carrot and celery for finely chopped broccoli as well as tasty cheddar cheese aged 18 months. Can’t wait to make it again.
Nagi says
Wahoo sounds great Frances!
Debbie says
Made this last night and my boyfriend and I absolutely loved it and we have frozen half of it because it made up heaps. Next time ill have to drain some liquid off it before I bake it.
Nagi says
Hi Debbie, I’m so glad you loved it, it’s perfect to make a big batch and freeze ❤️