đ What is Lasagna?
Lasagna is a classic Italian comfort food made with layers of pasta sheets, rich meat sauce, creamy cheese, and baked to perfection. Itâs one of the most loved dishes worldwide because of its rich flavor and satisfying texture.
One of the most loved foods in the world is finally here! This is a beautiful Italian Lasagna with layers of slow cooked RagĂč 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.
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.
â Why Youâll Love This Lasagna Recipe
- Easy step-by-step instructions
- Rich, cheesy, and flavorful
- Perfect for family dinners
- Freezer-friendly meal
- Restaurant-quality at home
đ Ingredients
For the Meat Sauce:
- 500g ground beef
- 1 onion (finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
For the Cheese Layer:
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
For Assembly:
- 12 lasagna noodles
- 2 tbsp olive oil
đšâđł How to Make Lasagna (Step-by-Step)
1. Cook the Meat Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a pan
- Add onion and garlic, sauté until soft
- Add ground beef and cook until browned
- Stir in tomato sauce, paste, and spices
- Simmer for 15â20 minutes
2. Prepare the Cheese Mixture
- In a bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg, and Parmesan
- Stir until smooth and creamy
3. Cook the Noodles
- Boil lasagna noodles according to package instructions
- Drain and set aside
4. Assemble the Lasagna
- Spread a layer of meat sauce in a baking dish
- Add noodles
- Spread cheese mixture
- Add mozzarella
- Repeat layers (3 times)
5. Bake
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes
- Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing
đ„ Pro Tips for Perfect Lasagna
- Use fresh herbs for better flavor
- Let lasagna rest before cutting
- Add a béchamel sauce for extra creaminess
- Use a mix of beef and sausage for richer taste
đ„ Serving Suggestions
- Garlic bread
- Fresh green salad
- Roasted vegetables
đ§ Storage & Reheating
- Fridge: Store up to 4 days
- Freezer: Store up to 3 months
- Reheat: Bake at 180°C until warm
đ„ Variations
- Vegetarian lasagna (use spinach & mushrooms)
- Chicken lasagna
- White sauce lasagna
â FAQs
Q: Can I make lasagna ahead of time?
Yes! Assemble and refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking.
Q: Why is my lasagna watery?
Too much sauce or not letting it rest after baking.
Q: Can I use no-boil noodles?
Yes, just add extra sauce to soften them.
Recipe Notes:
1. Pork addition â Some traditional versions use a combination of pork and beef because pork is a more tender meat while beef provides the beefy flavour. To do this, use 250g/8oz pork and 750g/1.5lb beef. I do not (usually) do this simply because I feel like the sauce is so beautifully rich anyway (especially with the cheese sauce).
2. For non alcoholic, use a no alcohol red wine or more beef broth/stock.
3. Sugar â add this only if you think your sauce has a tinge of sour which can happen because not all canned tomatoes are created equal (economical tend to be more sour).
4. Cheese for sauce: Use any eating cheese that melts like cheddar, colby, Monterey jack, gruyere. SHRED YOUR OWN for silky smooth sauce, packet shredded contains anti-caking agents which can make your sauce grainy. Australia: I steer clear of tasty cheese because some brands donât melt nicely into cheese sauce, some are oily and some go a big grainy.
Mozzarella is recommended for the topping for its melting qualities, and doesnât go greasy. Again, shred your own! It melts better â spreads better (often store bought shreds are too chunky so you donât get good coverage).
5. Fresh vs dried lasagna sheets: I like using fresh because I feel that it âmeldsâ better with the filling and doesnât buckle (ie go wavy), sold in the fridge section of grocery stores.
DRIED Lasagna sheets, check the packet to see if it needs to be cooked before using. If itâs labelled âInstantâ or âNo Cookâ, then you can use it without pre-cooking. If it needs to be cooked in boiling water (like pasta), follow the packet directions but regardless of what the packet says, I would recommend adding a good glug of olive oil in the water before adding the lasagna sheets (extra assurance they wonât stick together).
If you use instant dried lasagna sheets, the surface probably wonât stay nice and flat, like you see in the photos, as it tends to get âwavesâ on the surface once cooked. No effect on flavour, itâs just visual. â ïž IMPORTANT If using instant dried sheets, must ensure the ragu has enough liquid to hydrate the sheets in the oven, see note 6.
6. Ragu Consistency & Making ahead: The Ragu shouldnât be watery and there shouldnât be an excessive amount of sauce. However, if you are using instant dried lasagna sheets (ie layer dried), you must make sure there is enough liquid to rehydrate the sheets in the oven. See video to see how saucy my ragu is â this is saucy enough for dried lasagna sheets.
If you arenât using a heavy based pot, you may find you need to add a splash of water during the cook time (heavy pot = heavy lid = clamps down better = less water evaporation).
Making ahead: If you make the sauce ahead (I often do), reheat the ragu gently and you will need about 1/4 -cup water (60 ml) to loosen the sauce a touch. Add a little more if using instant dried sheets (see note 5).
7. SHEET PLACEMENT: If you watch the video, you will see I place the sheets in one direction for one layer, then the next time I place them 90 degrees the other way. This just helps the sheets stay in place a bit better when cutting â but itâs not a big deal!
8. Authenticity note: There is no single version of Lasagna in Italy though one might consider very traditional ones to be made with pancetta and milk and with no tomato paste, bouillon cubes or Worcestershire sauce and often made with white rather than red wine. Quite different to mine!
The main reason is because (speaking very frankly) mine is a version that I make using produce I get from everyday grocery stores, not using the quality of produce you can get from weekend markets in the cobblestone streets of little Tucson villages! Even the quality of canned tomatoes makes such a difference on the end product.
Make my lasagna with grocery store ingredients, and everybody is going to swoon and fall in love with it â and that was my baseline. Make this using Italian grown San Marzano tomatoes DOP or DPO (authenticity mark), high quality beef from your local butcher, organic vegetables, handmade fresh lasagne sheets â itâs going to blow your mind.
9. MAKE AHEAD: Lasagna is brilliant for making and and freezing. Cover with foil and reheat in the oven at 180C or microwave it (this is my preferred because I feel like it keeps it more moist). If frozen, defrost before heating. Keeps for 3 days in the fridge.
Alternatively, assemble then bake later. Just let the sauce cool a bit then assemble the lasagne and bake later â up to about 24 hours is fine.
