Lasagna Bolognese Recipe
A traditional lasagna bolognese is nothing short of a masterclass in comfort food, pasta, bechamel, Parmesan and a traditional bolognese ragu layered and baked to perfection.
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 1080kcal
Ingredients
For the Ragu alla Bolognese:
- 300 g Minced Beef 10oz
- 200 g Minced Pork 7oz
- 150 g Smoked Streaky Bacon 5oz
- 1 Small Onion 50g
- 1 Small Carrot 50g
- 1 Large Celery Stick 50g
- 25 g Butter 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoon
- 125 ml Red Wine ½ Cup
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 75 ml Full Fat Milk ⅓ Cup
For the Bechamel Sauce:
- 500 ml Whole Milk 2 Cups
- 50 g Plain Flour ¼ Cup + 1 teaspoon
- 50 g Butter 3 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon
- 1 Small-Medium Onion 100g
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 12 Black Pepper Corns
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
To build the Lasagna:
- 12 Lasagne Sheets
- 125 g Parmesan Cheese 1¼ Cups
Instructions
For the Ragu all Bolognese (Make this ahead of time and cool):
- Cut the celery and carrot into a 3mm (⅛") dice.
- Peel the onion and chop it into a dice the same size as the carrot and celery.
- Cut the bacon into a 7-10mm (¼-½") dice.
- Heat a 28cm or 11" frying pan (not non-stick) over medium a high heat. When it is hot, add the bacon and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the butter, and when it begins to foam, add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened, this will take about 10-12 minutes. Do not colour the vegetables.
- Add the beef to the pork mix and cook until it starts to caramelise, stirring occasionally. This will take around 10-12 minutes.
- Turn the heat up and add the minced pork and beef, and cook until well-browned, stirring occasionally. This will take 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato puree and red wine.
- Cook for 5 minutes before adding a lid, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 90 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir in the milk, return the lid and cook for another 30 minutes.
For the Bechamel Sauce:
- Peel the onion and cut it in half.
- Place the onion in a medium (16-17cm or 6-7") saucepan and add the pepper and bay leaf.
- Slowly heat the milk for 10 minutes, but ensure that you do not boil it hard.
- Melt the butter over a medium-low heat, and when melted, stir in flour.
- Cook out the flour and butter mix for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. If the mix starts to brown, reduce the heat; we want a white sauce, not a golden one.
- Add a little (50ml or around 3 tablespoons) of the hot milk into the pan with the butter and flour and mix until the milk is combined.
- Repeat this process until all of the milk is incorporated and you have a rich and thick Bechamel Sauce that is lump-free.
- Add the salt to taste and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
To build the Lasagna:
- Cut your lasagna sheets to the same size as your bowl. I use one that is 22cm by 15cm by 6cm deep, 10" x 6" x 2.5" for those who work in imperial.
- Add a little of the bechamel sauce to the bottom of the baking dish, followed by a little of the ragu.
- I use 55g of white sauce, 75g of ragu per layer and 10g of Parmesan cheese per layer.
- Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and then add a layer of pasta.
- Repeat this process 5 or 6 times.
- Top the final layer with the remaining bechamel sauce and Parmesan cheese; there should be more leftover of these than you used in each layer.
- Place it in the oven and bake at 180°C or 350°F for 45 minutes.
- Allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
You will have some left over bolognese sauce from this recipe, it is very difficult to make a small batch. Freeze it iand eat it later with pasta, in a toastie or on a baked potato!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 1080kcal | Carbohydrates: 141g | Protein: 178g | Fat: 145g | Saturated Fat: 70g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 59g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 671mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 45g
