Recipe
Lasagne alla bolognese
The Sunday centerpiece from Bologna: a slow ragù mellowed with milk and wine, silky besciamella and parmesan, layered and baked until bronzed. Give it the afternoon - it repays every minute.
Lasagne alla bolognese takes about 210 minutes and makes 6 servings. Each serving has 750 kcal.
- Preparation
- 45 minutes
- Cooking
- 165 minutes
- Total time
- 210 minutes
- Servings
- 6
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 750 kcal
- Protein
- 38 g
- Carbohydrates
- 47 g
- Fat
- 44 g
Ingredients
- Ground beef400 g
- Ground pork200 g
- Olive oil2 tbsp
- Butter80 g
- Onion1 pc
- Carrot1 pc
- Celery1 pc
- Tomato paste2 tbsp
- Canned peeled tomatoes400 g
- White wine150 ml
- Milk700 ml
- All-purpose flour50 g
- Nutmeg1 pinch
- Lasagne sheets250 g
- Parmesan100 g
- Salt1 pinch
- Pepper1 pinch
Instructions
- 1
Soften the finely chopped onion, carrot and celery in the olive oil and 20 g of the butter over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
- 2
Raise the heat, add both meats and brown them, breaking up the clumps, until the liquid has evaporated and the meat sizzles, about 10 minutes.
- 3
Pour in the wine and let it bubble away for about 5 minutes, until you no longer smell alcohol.
- 4
Stir in the tomato paste and tomatoes, season, and simmer the ragù on the lowest heat for 90 minutes, stirring now and then and adding a splash of water if it dries out.
- 5
Add 200 ml of the milk to the ragù and simmer gently for 20 more minutes - the milk rounds off the acidity and makes the meat tender.
- 6
For the besciamella, melt the remaining 60 g of butter in a saucepan, whisk in the flour and cook the roux for 2 minutes, whisking constantly.
- 7
Add the remaining 500 ml of milk in small pours, whisking each one smooth before the next, and cook until the sauce coats a spoon; season with salt and nutmeg.
Tip: Lumps come from rushing: add the milk gradually and whisk each addition fully smooth. If lumps win anyway, a quick pass with a hand blender saves the sauce.
- 8
Butter a baking dish, spread a thin layer of ragù, then build layers: pasta sheets, ragù, besciamella, parmesan - four to five rounds, finishing with besciamella and a generous parmesan top.
- 9
Bake at 180 °C for 35 minutes, until the top is bronzed and the edges bubble.
- 10
Rest the lasagne for 15 minutes before cutting.
Tip: Straight from the oven the layers slide apart into a puddle. After 15 minutes they set and you get proper, upright slices - worth the wait every time.
Cooking methods
On the stove
The ragù wants your smallest burner at its lowest setting - one lazy bubble breaking the surface now and then. Cook the besciamella over medium heat and never walk away from a roux.
On induction
Simmer the ragù on power 2 of 9 with the lid half on; induction keeps it steady for the full 90 minutes. Make the besciamella on power 4–5 - the instant response makes it easy to keep the roux blond.
Over an open fire
The ragù is happy in a Dutch oven at the edge of a fire - stir more often and feed the embers slowly. The layered bake needs steady all-around heat: embers below and on the lid, about 40 minutes, turning the pot twice.
Recipe questions
- How long does this recipe take?
- Plan for about 210 minutes from start to finish.
- How many servings does this recipe make?
- This recipe makes 6 servings.
- Can I cook this recipe on induction?
- Yes. Simmer the ragù on power 2 of 9 with the lid half on; induction keeps it steady for the full 90 minutes. Make the besciamella on power 4–5 - the instant response makes it easy to keep the roux blond.
- Can I cook this recipe over an open fire?
- Yes. The ragù is happy in a Dutch oven at the edge of a fire - stir more often and feed the embers slowly. The layered bake needs steady all-around heat: embers below and on the lid, about 40 minutes, turning the pot twice.
In the app
Cooking the way it should feel
One step on screen, a timer that keeps going, and clear progress until the dish is done.
