Homemade Bolognese Lasagna: An Easy Recipe
Lasagna is the ultimate communal dish. This Italian specialty, meant to be shared with family or friends, originates specifically from the Bologna region. Here is an easy version of the famous Bolognese lasagna recipe.
Ingredients
Here are the necessary ingredients for making lasagna for 6 people:
1 box of pre-cooked lasagna noodles.
125 g of grated cheese.
500 g of tomato sauce.
400 g of ground beef.
1 onion.
1 clove of garlic.
2 tablespoons of chopped basil or Provencal herbs.
olive oil.
50 cl of milk.
40 g of flour.
40 g of butter.
nutmeg.
salt and pepper.
Preparation of Bolognese sauce
To make Bolognese lasagna, start by preparing a slightly liquid Bolognese sauce.
1- Blend the garlic and onion together.
2- Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan and sauté the chopped garlic and onion without browning.
3- Add the tomato puree and season the tomato sauce with salt, pepper, and chopped basil or Herbes de Provence.
4- Simmer the tomato sauce over low heat for about 20 minutes.
5- At the end of cooking, add the ground meat to the sauce, mix for a minute then turn off the heat.
Note: Adding the meat without pre-cooking it prevents it from drying out or absorbing too much sauce.
Preparation of béchamel sauce
To succeed in making the traditional Bolognese lasagna recipe, you also need to prepare a béchamel sauce. Just make sure not to thicken the sauce too much. A liquid béchamel allows the lasagna pasta to cook while remaining tender.
1- Pour the flour into a mixing bowl and gradually add the milk, whisking to avoid lumps.
2- In a saucepan, melt the butter then add the previous mixture.
3- Season with salt, pepper, and a bit of grated nutmeg.
4- Let the béchamel sauce reduce slightly, while continuing to stir with a wooden spoon.
Careful: béchamel sauce tends to thicken further as it cools. That's why you should remove the mixture from the heat as soon as the sauce coats the back of the spoon.
Layering the lasagna
Once both sauces are ready, you can begin assembling the homemade Bolognese lasagna. Simply alternate the layers as follows:
1- Pour a little Tomato Sauce at the bottom of a large baking dish.
2- Line the dish with pre-cooked lasagna noodles without leaving any gaps.
3- Add a layer of homemade Bolognese sauce.
4- Pour a generous amount of béchamel sauce on top and sprinkle with grated Cheese.
5- Repeat the process starting with a layer of lasagna noodles.
Note: Depending on the size of your dish, you may be able to make 2 or 3 layers of lasagna noodles. However, make sure to save enough sauce to properly cover the top of the last layer.
6- Finish with a generous amount of grated Cheese so that your lasagna bakes to a golden brown.
Cooking Lasagna
1- Preheat the oven to 220°C (428°F).
2- Cook the Bolognese lasagna for 20 minutes.
3- Serve the dish straight from the oven, accompanied by a green salad with your homemade lasagna.
