Simply The BEST Homemade Lasagne Recipe

one serving of lasagne being lifted from the baking cheese with cheese hanging off

4.93 from 39 votes

Simply The BEST Homemade Lasagne Recipe

This Lasagne is made with an easy Homemade Bechamel Sauce, a rich & tender Beef Ragu and Cheese as far as the eye can see. What's not to love?!

Prep Time30

Cook Time2 45

Total Time3 15

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

20cm x 30cm/8 x 12" Baking Dish
Large Pot or Dutch Oven with Heavy Lid (for Ragu)
Medium Pot & Wooden Spoon (for Bechamel)
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Box Grater (for carrot and cheese)
Serving Spoon (to spread layers)

Ingredients

Ragu

2.2lb / 1kg Ground/Minced Beef (see notes)
3.5oz / 100g Pancetta, finely diced
2 cups / 500ml Tomato Passata (Pureed Tomatoes in US)
2 cups / 500ml Beef Stock
1 cup / 250ml Red Wine
2 ribs of Celery, finely diced
2 medium Carrots, grated on a box grater
1 large White Onion, finely diced
3 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
2 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
2 Bay Leaves
1 small bunch EACH: Fresh Basil, Fresh Parsley finely diced (approx 1oz/30g each)
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1.5 tsp Sugar, or to taste
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Olive Oil, as needed

Bechamel Sauce

4 cups / 1 litre Milk, at room temp
5 tbsp Plain Flour (60g)
4 tbsp Butter (60g)
1/2 small Nutmeg, finely grated
1 cup / 80g freshly grated Parmesan
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Lasagne

12oz / 350g Fresh Lasagne Sheets (see notes)
2 cups / 200g Mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup / 40g freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions

Ragu

Drizzle around 1 tbsp olive oil into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef, break it up with a wooden spoon and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to fry until fully browned, then scoop into your lasagne dish (discarding any excess fat).
Lower the heat to medium and add the pancetta to the pan. Fry until it begins to brown and release its fat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and continue frying until they soften and just begin to brown. Add the garlic and fry for another minute, then add the tomato puree (tomato paste).
Fry the tomato puree for a few mins, then deglaze the pan with the wine. Allow the wine to reduce for a few mins, then add the beef back in. Stir to coat the beef.
Add in the beef stock, tomato passata, parsley, basil, oregano, bay leaves, 1 tsp sugar, salt & pepper (to taste). Bring to a simmer then turn the heat to low, pop on a lid and allow to simmer for at least 1 hour 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Then take off the lid and allow the sauce to reduce until it thickens and is no loner watery, another 20-30mins should be fine. Check for seasoning again and adjust with salt and pepper.

Bechamel Sauce

Melt the butter in a suitably sized pot over medium heat. Add the flour and stir to create a roux.
Gradually pour in the milk, whisking as you go to ensure lumps don't form. Allow the sauce to simmer away for around 7-10mins to thicken, then add the nutmeg, parmesan, and salt & pepper (to taste). Stir to combine, taste for seasoning, then remove from heat. You want the sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (slightly thicker than double cream), but not so thick it won't pour.

Lasagne

Pre heat oven to 350F/180C.
In a 20x30cm/8x12" baking dish, spread a few spoons of ragu. This is just so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom.
Your layers will then go as follows: Pasta sheets, Ragu, Bechamel Sauce, Mozzarella. The last layer will be Pasta Sheets, then Bechamel, then Mozzarella and Parmesan to top. That's 4 layers of pasta, 4 layers of Ragu (including the very bottom layer), 4 layers of Bechamel and 4 layers of mozzarella.
Pop in the oven for 30-40mins or until the surface is deep golden (some 'burnt' parts are fine, extra flavour). Let it sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing so it can retain its shape. It will stay hot for longer than you think!
Serve with an extra sprinkle of basil or parsley. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Pancetta Sub - If you're struggling to find pancetta, finely diced bacon will work fine instead.

b) Sugar - Start off with 1 tsp, then taste test after it's simmered and reduced. You'll find the flavour changes quite drastically after the ragu is fully cooked, so adjust accordingly then. If your tomatoes are good quality they'll likely be sweet enough and you won't need any extra sugar.

c) Consistency - It's imperative that you reduce the Ragu AND the Bechamel sauce. For the Ragu, if there is a layer of water on top whilst it simmers, it needs more reduction. For the Bechamel sauce, you need to be able to comfortably coat the back of a wooden spoon. If both are too watery, the lasagne is going to come out of the oven overly sloppy. If it looks a little loose when it's out the oven, just let it sit for 15-30 minutes before serving.

d) Baking Dish - 8x12" is a great size for lasagnes and gives you 4 pasta layers. Feel to use a smaller, but deeper dish and add more layers.

e) Fresh Lasagne Sheets vs Dried - I always go fresh (find in the fresh pasta section at the supermarket). I prefer the texture and the lasagne stays intact better (not so wavey). If you’ve got dried then check the packet to see if you need to cook beforehand. If you don’t need to cook them then don’t reduce the ragu so much as the dried sheets will suck up more liquid than fresh.

f) Beef - I usually go for 10-12% fat. Gives a bit of fatty flavour but not so much the ragu goes oily. If you've only got very fat beef, say 20%, drain away most of the fat after it's fried.

g) Heavy Top Lid - Needs to be heavy so the steam doesn't escape otherwise it'll reduce too quickly.

h) Make Ahead - This is perfect to make in advance! Just make sure the ragu and bechamel sauce cool before you assemble, or the pasta will start to cook and come out super soft and mushy after it's baked. Once cool and combined, tightly cover and store in the fridge 24 hours before needed. Preferably bring to room temp before baking at the above temp/timings (to take the fridge chill out the centre so it cooks through evenly). You can also store it in the freezer, then thaw it in the fridge overnight and bake it accordingly.

i) Leftovers - Store in the fridge for 3-5days or freezer long-term, then cover with foil and reheat in the oven at the same temp until piping hot through the centre (if freezing thaw in the fridge overnight then bake). You can also reheat it in the microwave until piping hot.

j) Calories - per serving (divided by 8)

Nutrition