Italian Lasagne with Bolognese and Béchamel
Lasagne is three components: a bolognese cooked slowly in tomato for at least an hour, a béchamel, and pasta sheets, layered and baked at 180°C for forty minutes. The fifteen-minute rest after the oven is what lets it cut cleanly instead of collapsing.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 100 min
- Total
- 145 min
- Calories
- 580
Photo: Kgbo — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Real lasagne isn't a quick tomato sauce — the bolognese cooks slowly until it reduces and sweetens. That time is the difference between home lasagne and the lasagne you get in an Italian restaurant.
Method
-
1
The bolognese base
Soften the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil over low heat for ten minutes until sweet — that's the Italian soffritto.
⏱ 12 min -
2
The meat
Add the mince over high heat and cook until it loses its pink and takes on colour, then the tomato paste, stirring for two minutes.
⏱ 10 min -
3
The slow cook
Add the crushed tinned tomatoes, salt and pepper, and simmer uncovered on the lowest heat for a full hour, stirring occasionally. In the last ten minutes add the milk — it softens the acidity of the tomato.
⏱ 65 min -
4
The béchamel
Melt the butter, add the flour and stir for two minutes until it smells nutty, then pour in the warm milk gradually while whisking until it thickens. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
⏱ 12 min -
5
Layering
In the dish: two spoons of bolognese on the base, lasagne sheets, bolognese, béchamel, cheese — repeat for four layers. Finish with béchamel, mozzarella and parmesan.
⏱ 12 min -
6
Bake and rest
Cover with foil and bake at 180°C for thirty minutes, then uncover for fifteen until the top browns. Let it rest for fifteen minutes before cutting.
⏱ 60 min 🔥 180°C
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Tips that actually matter
- The fifteen-minute rest is not negotiable — without it, it slides apart on the plate.
- The milk at the end of the bolognese is an Italian trick: it softens the acidity and tenderises the meat.
- If your sheets aren't the no-boil kind, blanch them for two minutes before layering.
People also ask
My lasagne came out dry.
The bolognese was too thick, or the sheets absorbed the liquid. Keep the sauce looser than you think it needs to be, and cover with foil for the first thirty minutes.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes — assemble it fully and refrigerate for a day, or freeze it unbaked for a month. Bake from frozen with an extra twenty minutes.
A vegetarian version?
Swap the meat for cooked brown lentils or chopped mushrooms — same method, excellent result.
Cook mode
Italian Lasagne with Bolognese and Béchamel
-
1
The bolognese base
Soften the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil over low heat for ten minutes until sweet — that's the Italian soffritto.
-
2
The meat
Add the mince over high heat and cook until it loses its pink and takes on colour, then the tomato paste, stirring for two minutes.
-
3
The slow cook
Add the crushed tinned tomatoes, salt and pepper, and simmer uncovered on the lowest heat for a full hour, stirring occasionally. In the last ten minutes add the milk — it softens the acidity of the tomato.
-
4
The béchamel
Melt the butter, add the flour and stir for two minutes until it smells nutty, then pour in the warm milk gradually while whisking until it thickens. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
-
5
Layering
In the dish: two spoons of bolognese on the base, lasagne sheets, bolognese, béchamel, cheese — repeat for four layers. Finish with béchamel, mozzarella and parmesan.
-
6
Bake and rest
Cover with foil and bake at 180°C for thirty minutes, then uncover for fifteen until the top browns. Let it rest for fifteen minutes before cutting.
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