Lasagne al forno with bolognese ragu
This classic recipe for baked lasagna is the ultimate comfort food.
Servings: 6
Calories: 949kcal
Ingredients
For bolognese
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 carrots washed and finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks washed and finely chopped
- 300 g minced beef (10oz)
- 300 g minced pork (10oz)
- 100 ml white or red wine ( I used white) (3.5floz)
- 200 ml fresh whole milk (6floz)
- 200 ml beef or chicken stock (6floz)
- 400 g fresh tomatoes or tomato passata (I like to use half and half) (14oz)
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
For the béchamel (white sauce)
- 100 g all purpose flour (3.5oz) sifted
- 100 g butter (3.5oz)
- 1 lt fresh milk (33floz)
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
For the finished dish
- 500 g lasagne sheets (1.1lbs)
- 90 g Parmesan cheese (3oz) grated
Instructions
Make the bolognese (this takes 2-3 hours)
- Fry the vegetables in a little olive oil until they soften. (Some Italian chefs insist that the meat and vegetables be fried separately as they require different levels of heat)
- In a separate pan fry the minced meat in heated olive oil over a medium heat until it begins to brown and then add the vegetables. (you can also cook the meat with the veg)
- Add the wine and continue stirring. When the alcohol has evaporated, add the tomatoes and/or passata and the stock.
- Lower the heat and leave to simmer partially covered for at least 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the milk, stir and continue to let the sauce simmer for another 30 minutes.
- If you think the sauce is too liquidy you can remove the cover completely till it reduces. But if you are using fresh or uncooked pasta the sauce needs to be a little liquidy.
Make the béchamel (white sauce)
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, incorporate the sifted flour and mix everything with a wooden spoon or whisk until you have a paste (roux)
- Cook the roux until it is golden, and at this point add the milk a little at a time, plus a pinch of salt and a ½ teaspoon of grated nutmeg. Continue to stir until the sauce reaches the consistency you want.
Cook the pasta
- If you are using dried pasta sheets partly cook them in boiling salted water. You may want to add a little olive oil to the water so they don't stick together or cook them one at a time!
Finish the dish
- Then butter a rectangular baking dish and spread a little sauce on the bottom. Make a layer of lasagne sheets, cover them with a layer of sauce, some béchamel and a sprinkling of grated cheese.
- Then put another layer of pasta, then bolognese sauce, béchamel and cheese and so on until the ingredients are used up, leaving some béchamel for the final layer.
- Cover the last layer with béchamel sauce, grated parmesan and some butter flakes.
- Bake your lasagne al forno in a preheated oven at 170-180 °c (338-356°F)for about thirty minutes. When the surface is golden and the pasta is cooked (check using a fork) remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. If using uncooked pasta it's a good idea to cover the dish with aluminium foil for the first 15 minutes as otherwise the top may get golden before the pasta is cooked.
- Allow the lasagne al forno to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Preparation times include the time needed to make the bolognese and béchamel sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 949kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 536mg | Potassium: 1014mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4336IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 288mg | Iron: 5mg