Lasagna

Preparation time
15 mins
Cooking time
60 mins
Difficulty
Moderate
Serves
6 people
Meal course
Main Course
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Posted on
1 Batch
Bolognese Sauce
1 Batch
Béchamel Sauce
1 Batch
Fresh Egg Pasta Sheets
1 As Needed
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 As Needed
Butter
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Lasagna

To make this dish you will first need to make 3 other items:
1) Ragu (Bolognese Sauce)
2) Béchamel Sauce
3) Fresh Egg Pasta rolled into Lasagna sheets – You can also use store bought dried lasagna sheets if necessary but be sure to cook it longer per the recipe below.

Bolognese Lasagna, at its most essential is actually a rather simple dish: ragù, béchamel, parmesan cheese and pasta are layered in a baking dish and baked until a light crust forms on top. But, of course, the reality is not quite that quick and easy, as each component (other than the cheese) requires its own preparation before the dish is assembled and baked. In fact, it is best to budget several hours, over two days, to make this classic dish.

  1. Make the ragù (Bolognese Sauce): This is the real ‘heart’ of the dish that gives the dish its savor. Since it takes several hours to make, and benefits from an overnight ‘rest’, better to make your ragù the day before.
  2. Make fresh egg pasta dough and roll it out into thin sheets. Cut the sheets into lengths about as long (or wide) as the baking dish in which you plan to bake your lasagne. Take care, as the pasta will expand when it is cooked, so cut them just a bit shorter than the actual length or breadth of the pan. Since the pasta is not cut into strips as for fettuccine or taglierini, you need not dry the pasta if you’re ready to make the lasagne right away.
  3. Make the béchamel: Prepare the béchamel sauce.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for baking the assembled lasagna & on the stovetop bring a large pan of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
  5. Cook the pasta and assemble the dish: Take your pasta sheets and simmer them, only one or two at a time, in well-salted water for just a minute or two (or 8-10 min for store bought dried pasta), depending on just how thinly you’ve rolled out your pasta, and how long the pasta has been drying.
  6. As each pasta sheet is done, fish it out of the hot water with a slotted spoon (the larger the better) and chill immediately in iced water then place it on a towel. With another towel, pat it dry. Then place the pasta sheets at the bottom of a greased baking dish, covering the entire bottom of the dish. It’s OK to overlap the sheets a bit, but if there’s too much overlap or the sheets are too big for the dish, you can always trim the cooked sheets to size.
  7. Add a thin layer of béchamel over the pasta, making sure to cover the entire surface of the pasta with a spatula. Lay over some of the ragù, then a generous dusting of grated parmesan cheese. (NB: Since all the components—pasta, ragu and béchamel—should be well seasoned, there should normally be no reason to season the dish as you assemble it.)
  8. Repeat until you have run out of ingredients, or the baking dish is nearly full, or you’ve reached about four layers, ending with a layer of béchamel, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and dotted with butter.
  9. Baking the lasagne: Cover tightly with foil and bake in a moderate oven (180°C, 350°F) for about 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 15-30 minutes until the top is just slightly browned on top (see top photo).
  10. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.