Classic Lasagna Recipe
Classic Lasagna - layers of silky smooth, creamy parmesan béchamel sauce, a slow simmered Bolognese meat sauce, sheets of pasta, and lots of mozzarella cheese make this the World’s Best Lasagna recipe.
Ingredients
For the Bolognese sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter 28g
- 2 tablespoons olive oil 25g
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 1 carrot chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 ½ lbs ground beef 680g
- 1 cup whole milk, hot but not boiling 227g
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes 794g (or a can of San Marzano whole tomatoes, crushed)
- ½ cup water 113g
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 bouillon cube
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon red vinegar
- Fresh basil optional
For the Béchamel
- 4 tablespoons butter 57g
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 35g
- 3 ½ cups milk 795g
- 1 cup freshly shredded parmesan 85g
- pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and pepper to taste
To assemble the Lasagna:
Lasagna noodles:
- Fresh pasta sheets to make 3 layers OR 12-16 dried pasta noodles
- 16 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded 454g
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley Optional garnish
Instructions
Make the Bolognese sauce
- Chop the onion, carrot, and celery very fine. If it’s too big, it might not get soft enough in the sauce. I like to chop mine up in the food processor.
- Sauté the chopped onion, carrot, and celery in butter and olive oil until it is soft and golden. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.
- Add the ground beef and cook until brown, breaking it up into small pieces, and all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Pour in milk and let simmer until the liquid is absorbed. If I’m in a hurry, I skip this step, but it does mellow the flavor and add a silky texture to the sauce.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, ½ cup of water, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, bouillon cube, salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar. Bring to a simmer. If I’m in a hurry, I allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes, however a long, slow 3 hour simmer is best if you have the time.
- When the ragu sauce is finished, it should be thick as shown in the pictures above. If it's too wet, it will be runny when it's sliced.
- Optional: stir in some chopped fresh basil when it’s done.
Make the Béchamel sauce
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Whisk in the flour until a smooth roux forms. Let cook about 30 seconds.
- Whisk in hot milk, and stir until the sauce thickens and can coat the back of a spoon.
- Take off the heat and whisk in parmesan until melted. Cover and set aside. If a skin forms on top, just stir it in before using, it will dissolve.
- Add pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste
- Soak the dried lasagna noodles
- If you’re using dried lasagna noodles, thirty minutes before assembling the lasagna, soak the noodles in hot tap water. Don’t let them soak longer than 30 minutes or they will become too soft, then become mushy in the baked lasagna.
How to Layer Lasagna
- Spread ¼ of the ragù sauce, about 2 cups, onto the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
- Top with a layer of lasagna noodles or fresh pasta sheets.
- Spread on ¼ of the ragù sauce, about 2 cups
- Spread on ⅓ of the béchamel sauce, about 1 ⅓ cups
- Sprinkle with ⅓ of the mozzarella, about 1 ⅓ cups
Make 2 more layers:
- noodles, ¼ ragù, ⅓ béchamel, ⅓ mozzarella
- noodles, ¼ ragù, ⅓ béchamel, ⅓ mozzarella
- Cover the Lasagna with foil that has been sprayed with nonstick baking spray.
- If your Lasagna layers go up to the top of the pan, put in some sticks near the 4 corners of the dish. I use chopsticks that are broken in half. This will prevent the foil from touching the top layer of cheese.
Bake the Lasagna
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Cover the Lasagna with foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the foil (and the sticks if using) and continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes until bubbly and the cheese on top starts to get brown spots.
- You can turn on the broiler for the last minute or two to get the browning you desire. Keep a close eye on it though!
Notes
- I’ve used dried lasagna noodles in this recipe because it’s a staple I have in my cupboard, and it’s accessible to everyone. Plus, it saves time.
- Use as many noodles as will make 3 layers in your baking dish. My dish gets wider towards the top so I use 3 sheets on the bottom layer, and 4 sheets each for the middle and top layers.
Nutrition
Calories: 560kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 29gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 665mgPotassium: 635mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1709IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 452mgIron: 3mg
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