Lasagna
Lasagna is baked layers of wide pasta sheets, meat sauce, béchamel and cheese. This version also adds a layer of ricotta mixed with egg and Parmesan, the way Italian-American kitchens often do it, so it comes out denser and richer than a plain ragù-and-béchamel lasagne. Bake it 35–40 minutes and let it rest before cutting, so the layers set into clean squares.
Ingredients
- 12-15 sheetslasagna pasta
- 500 gground beef
- 1 onion
- 2 clovesgarlic
- 800 gcanned chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 1 tspdried oregano
- 1 tspdried basil
- 500 gricotta
- 300 gmozzarella
- 100 gparmesan
- 2 eggs
- 50 gbutter
- 50 gflour
- 500 mlmilk
- a pinchnutmeg
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 1 tspsalt
- 0.5 tspblack pepper
Method
- Prepare the meat sauce: heat 2 tbsp olive oil, soften the onion for 5 minutes, add the minced meat and garlic, and fry until browned with no pink left; season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and basil. Simmer for 30 minutes until thick.
- Prepare the béchamel sauce: melt the butter, add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly. Add the nutmeg and a pinch of salt, and cook until it coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, eggs and half of the Parmesan cheese. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Spread a ladle of béchamel over the bottom of a 23×30 cm baking dish. Layer: lasagna sheets, meat sauce, béchamel, a few spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture, a sprinkle of mozzarella. Repeat twice more, finishing with sheets, the last of the béchamel, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. No-boil sheets go in dry; if yours are regular sheets, parboil them 2 minutes first and lay them flat on a towel.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.
FAQ
It depends on the type. Sheets labelled 'no-boil' go straight into the dish — they soften in the sauce during baking. Regular sheets need to be parboiled first. If your sauce is liquid enough, no-boil sheets will absorb the moisture and turn perfectly tender. Always check the packet instructions.
If you want a denser lasagna, leave out the béchamel and rely on the ricotta layer: this recipe already has 500 g ricotta mixed with 2 eggs and half the Parmesan, so just spread it more generously in every layer and add an extra ladle of meat sauce so the sheets still have moisture to soak up. The result is firmer and less silky than with béchamel, but still good. Thick sour cream or heavy cream spread thin also work. Béchamel is worth keeping if you can: it binds the layers and keeps the lasagna from sliding apart when you slice it.
The main reason — you didn't let it rest. After the oven, lasagna needs 10–15 minutes on the counter: the sauces thicken and the layers set. Also: don't make the meat sauce too watery, and don't skimp on cheese — it holds everything together.
Yes, and it's a great idea: assemble in the evening, cover with cling film and refrigerate. Before baking, take it out 30 minutes early and add 10–15 minutes to the usual baking time. The flavor actually improves — the sauces have time to soak into the pasta.
Before is better: assemble in the dish, cover with foil and freeze. Bake straight from frozen at 180°C for about 1.5 hours, removing the foil for the last 20 minutes. Already-baked lasagna can also be frozen in portions — reheat in the microwave or oven with a splash of water to keep it moist.
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Comments (4)
Fatta ieri per il pranzo della domenica, buonisima. Il ragu deve cuocere almeno 3 ore a fuoco basso, non meno. La besciamella non troppo densa senno viene pesante
Ricetta della domenica per eccellenza! Nella mia famiglia mettiamo anche le polpettine dentro tra gli strati. È bolognese purista? No. Ma è buonissima. Fate riposare 15 min prima di tagliare, fidatevi.
Лазанья — это не запеканка из макарон с фаршем. Болоньезе для неё готовится часа три минимум. Бешамель должен быть без комков — если не умеете, тренируйтесь на простом белом соусе. И листы лазаньи не надо предварительно варить, если соус достаточно жидкий — они приготовятся в духовке.
Salt your cooking water generously for lasagna — about 1 tablespoon per liter. This is the only chance to season from inside. No amount of sauce compensates for bland, under-seasoned pasta or grains.