Neither cheap nor quick, but very delicious and worth the effort. This original and authentic lasagna Bolognese (Italian: Lasagne Bolognese) recipe is made with lasagna noodles, authentic Bolognese sauce, Parmesan cheese and Béchamel.
A Note on the Ingredients
- Make your own Bolognese sauce with 1/2 lb of pork and 1/2 lb of beef (250 g each). It will yield approx. 2 lbs (1 kg) of sauce.
- Original Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano) will make it into the real thing. If you have to substitute with something else, use Grana Padano or maybe Emmental. The stronger the taste the better.
- When it comes to lasagna noodles, pick good quality Italian noodles with eggs, like Barilla. If you are brave enough and have a pasta maker, you can prepare them yourself. Important! Do not cook the pasta before putting it into the pan! Moisture coming from the Bolognese and béchamel sauces will soften the noodles. Use thinner Béchamel then usual (add a bit less flour).
- This quantity will make four layers in a 13″ x 9″ (33*23cm) baking pan. Divide the meat into 5 portions (one goes under the bottom layer of the lasagna noodles), bechamel into 4 portions, and the cheese into 5 portions again (the top layer of cheese has to be doubled to get a nice color).
- Cooking time indicated for this lasagna Bolognese recipe doesn’t include the cooking time of the Bolognese sauce and the bechamel.
How to Serve Lasagna Bolognese
Take out your lasagna Bolognese from the oven, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut it into squares. Serve as it is or with some green salad. It is a heavy but very delicious meal.
Enjoy!
Authentic Lasagna Bolognese
Ingredients
- Bechamel sauce made from 1 quart (1 liter) of milk
- Bolognese sauce made from 1 pound (500 g) of meat
- 12 oz (350 g) lasagna noodles
- 7 oz (200 g) Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare your Bolognese sauce. This will take 3 hours so you better think ahead. You can make the sauce weeks before the lasagna, it freezes well.
- Prepare your bechamel sauce and grate the Parmesan cheese.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- To prepare your lasagna Bolognese, first butter a 13×9-inch baking pan. Then start with a layer of Bolognese sauce.
- Arrange one layer of lasagna noodles to cover the bottom of the baking pan (over your thin Bolognese layer). If necessary, brake your noodles into smaller pieces to cover the baking pan evenly. Make sure the pieces don’t overlap each other, so they can cook through.
- Spread bechamel on the noodles. Make sure it covers them completely. Without doing so the pasta wouldn’t be cooked through properly.
- Add bolognese sauce and sprinkle it with a generous layer of grated Parmesan cheese.
- Continue with the layering. On top of the cheese comes another layer of pasta, then béchamel, Bolognese sauce and grated cheese. The top layer of the lasagna Bolognese should be béchamel mixed with Bolognese sauce and sprinkled with double amount of cheese.
- Bake your lasagna Bolognese for about an hour. It is ready when the edges of the pasta are rippled and the cheese on the top is crispy and has a wonderful brownish-red color.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!