Lasagna, a classic Italian dish, is a delicious and versatile casserole made with layers of pasta, sauce, and cheese. This hearty and comforting dish is perfect for a family meal or a special occasion. The Bolognese lasagna recipe featured in this article is a traditional version of this classic dish, made with a rich and flavorful meat sauce, béchamel sauce, and multiple layers of pasta and cheese. In addition to the Bolognese lasagna recipe, this article also includes recipes for a vegetarian lasagna, a white lasagna, and a lasagna soup. Whether you're a lasagna lover or looking for a new dish to try, this article has something for everyone.
Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!
LASAGNE VERDI ALLA BOLOGNESE
This is an adaptation of the official lasagne from the Bolognese Chamber of Commerce. I've made a couple of changes suggested to me by people from the area, such as which meat and wine to use or if there should be milk added or not. One thing never in question, though, is the green lasagne sheets. These are a must. The ragu is an authentic sauce, simple without garlic or herbs and spices. Using fresh pasta keeps you from having to pre-boil it.
Provided by Buckwheat Queen
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Pork Ground Pork Recipes
Time 4h
Yield 10
Number Of Ingredients 23
Steps:
- Saute pancetta in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until fat has rendered, 1 to 2 minutes. Add carrot, celery, onion, and oil. Cook and stir until vegetables have softened and onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add beef and pork. Cook, stirring and mashing meat into small crumbles, until browned, 5 to 7 minutes more.
- Stir wine into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Add tomato sauce and stir; pour in 1 cup broth. Reduce heat to low and partially cover the pot to allow steam to escape. Simmer sauce for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Pour 1 more cup of broth into the sauce. Continue simmering until thick, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add more broth only if absolutely necessary; ragu should drop, not run, off a spoon.
- Start preparing pasta after sauce has been cooking for 1 1/2 hours. Bring water and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add spinach and cover until it returns to a boil. Stir gently and cook until spinach is heated through. Remove from heat, leave covered, and let cool.
- Drain spinach in a mesh strainer set over a bowl, pressing it down with a fork to squeeze out as much water and possible; reserve the liquid. Puree spinach in a blender until smooth.
- Sift flour into a bowl. Make a well in the center; add eggs, spinach, and about 1 tablespoon of the reserved liquid. Mix together by hand or using the dough hook of a stand mixer, adding more liquid if needed. Knead until dough becomes a smooth ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Taste the ragu and adjust salt. Remove from heat and add milk; stir well and set aside to cool.
- Divide pasta dough into 4 equal sections. Use a pasta machine, or rolling pin, dusted with flour, to roll pasta into 1/16-inch thick sheets. Lay sheets on clean dish towels to help them dry. Let rest for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not allow it to brown or burn. Add flour and whisk constantly until golden. Add 1/2 cup milk, whisking constantly. Repeat with remaining milk. Simmer until bechamel is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg and salt.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Spread a bit of the ragu sauce over the base of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of pasta. Top with a spoonful of sauce and bechamel. Add a spoonful of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Top with another layer of pasta. Add more sauce, bechamel, and cheese. Repeat layers until you reach the top; finish with a layer of pasta, bechamel, and cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top has browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Let lasagne rest for 10 or 15 minutes at room temperature before slicing.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 389.3 calories, Carbohydrate 28.3 g, Cholesterol 95.2 mg, Fat 23.1 g, Fiber 4.1 g, Protein 17.5 g, SaturatedFat 10.2 g, Sodium 612.4 mg, Sugar 6.8 g
LASAGNE BOLOGNESE WITH SPINACH
Provided by Melissa Roberts
Categories Beef Bake Dinner Casserole/Gratin Ricotta Spinach Family Reunion Potluck Gourmet Peanut Free Tree Nut Free Soy Free
Yield Makes 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 23
Steps:
- Make Sauce:
- Heat oil in a 12-to 14-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden and softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up any lumps, until meat is no longer pink, 6 to 10 minutes. Stir in wine, milk, tomato paste, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated but sauce is still moist, about 1 hour.
- Make ricotta filling:
- Put spinach in a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and twist to squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- Whisk together ricotta, eggs, parmesan, nutmeg, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Transfer 1 1/2 cups ricotta mixture to another bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup milk; set aside. Whisk spinach into remaining filling with remaining 1/2 cup milk.
- Assemble and bake lasagne:
- Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
- Soak noodles in a bowl of very warm water until pliable but not softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Place on a kitchen towel (it's not necessary to pat noodles dry).
- Spread 1 1/2 cups bolognese sauce in baking pan and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parmesan. Cover with 3 noodles, leaving space in between. Spread half of spinach filling on top, then 1 cup bolognese sauce, and top with 1 tablespoon parmesan and 3 noodles; repeat. Top with remaining bolognese sauce, 1 tablespoon parmesan, and remaining 3 noodles. Pour reserved ricotta mixture over top and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan.
- Cover pan tightly with parchment paper and foil (or just buttered foil) and bake 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is browned in spots, about 15 minutes more. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes before cutting.
BOLOGNESE LASAGNE
Steps:
- For the Bolognese ragu: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Smear 1 tablespoon butter in an even layer over the bottom and sides of a Dutch oven. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, render the bacon until cooked through but not crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the skillet. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and melt over medium heat. Add the garlic, celery, carrots and onion and saute until the onion is translucent and the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to the Dutch oven.
- Add the oil to the skillet and add the beef. Cook the meat, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until uniformly brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer the beef and bacon to the Dutch oven and pour in the chicken stock, wine and tomato puree. Transfer to the oven and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 hours.
- If there is a large amount of fat on top of the sauce, skim it off with a large spoon. Stir in the cream and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if needed.
- For the cheese sauce: In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, whisking for a minute. Add the milk and cream and cook, whisking, until the mixture thickens, 5 to 10 minutes. (The process goes more quickly if you warm the milk and cream beforehand.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, add the fontina and nutmeg and whisk to combine.
- For the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish along the bottom and sides.
- Spread a thin layer of the ragu sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and top with a single layer of noodles. Top with another layer of the ragu sauce. Spoon a thin layer of the cheese sauce over the ragu in the baking dish. Top with a second layer of noodles and continue layering with the ragu, cheese sauce and noodles until you've finished the noodles and reached the top. Finish with a last layer of ragu and cheese sauce and top with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake until bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes.
LASAGNE ALLA BOLOGNESE SAPORITE
This is the classic lasagne alla Bolognese recipe from the Emilia region in Northern Italy. The Bolognese sauce is made with a mixture of beef and pork mince. The addition of prosciutto, red wine, cinnamon, and nutmeg make it truly authentic.
Provided by Alemarsi
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 3h21m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir onion, carrot, shallot, and prosciutto until onion is translucent and prosciutto releases some fat, about 10 minutes. Add pork and beef; season with 1 teaspoon nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt to taste. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes.
- Pour red wine over meat mixture; increase heat and cook until wine evaporates, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and mix well; bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes break down and flavors of Bolognese sauce have combined, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; add flour. Whisk vigorously until mixture is smooth. Pour in milk and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until white sauce thickens enough to cover the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes; season with 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Lay noodles on a clean towel and pat dry.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Pour a ladleful of Bolognese sauce and a ladleful of white sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish; top with 3 or 4 lasagna noodles. Cover noodles with 1/3 of the white sauce and 1/3 of the Bolognese sauce. Sprinkle some of the Parmesan cheese on top; cover with lasagna noodles. Repeat layers, ending with white sauce and Parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling and top is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let stand 3 to 4 minutes before slicing.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 693.7 calories, Carbohydrate 48.2 g, Cholesterol 112.9 mg, Fat 38 g, Fiber 2.9 g, Protein 35.9 g, SaturatedFat 17.9 g, Sodium 822.2 mg, Sugar 9.2 g
LASAGNE ALLA BOLOGNESE
Recipe courtesy Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar. Notes: Because you are working with pasta that does not require boiling, you have to make sure that there are no pieces of lasagne sticking out of the sauce because they won't cook. When you decide to tap into your reserve of frozen lasagne, keep in mind you need to thaw the frozen lasagne overnight before reheating. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk, if too runny, return to the heat and add a pat of butter mixed with an equal amount of all-purpose flour. The most important thing though is: besciamella should not taste floury. If you think your sauce is ready, but you can spot a hint of "flouriness" when you taste it, think again, and keep on cooking it for a few minutes more.
Provided by Diane C 2
Categories European
Time 3h45m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 23
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Butter the lasagne pan well and add a very thin layer of meat sauce.
- Add the first layer of lasagne noodles and in order, cover with meat sauce, about 3 ladles besciamella, and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Repeat the same process until you reach the top of the dish. Make sure the lasagne noodles are soaking into the sauce.
- When done layering the ingredients, top the lasagne with a final ladle of meat sauce and some besciamella, add a few thin slices of butter and finish with some grated Parmesan.
- Bake for about 30 minutes.
- Heat a broiler. When your fantastic lasagne alla bolognese is cooked, give it a nice crisp top by broiling it for about 5 minutes.
- Always serve this dish with extra-virgin olive oil and some grated parmesan, to taste.
- Bolognese Sauce:.
- Saute the onion, carrots, and celery in about 5 tablespoons olive oil in a large rondeau until soft. Add the pancetta to the soffritto (onion mixture). Cook on a medium-high flame for about 7 to 10 minutes, then add the meat; break it up well with a wooden spoon. Cook's Note: You can jack up the heat a bit, and keep stirring until all the ground meat is browned. Add the red pepper flakes and the parsley and cook for just 1 minute.
- Add the wine now and cook until the alcohol is completely evaporated, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Pulse the tomatoes smooth in a food processor and add them to the meat, season generously with salt and pepper, lower the flame to medium and cook for about 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Finish the sauce by adding the whole milk, stir well and set aside, to cool off.
- Besciamella:.
- Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a pan over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Cook's Note: This is an important moment, as you have to slowly toast the flour without burning it. This will help you lose the flowery taste.
- Warm up the milk and gradually ladle into the pot with the butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly while bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Season the sauce with freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 800.9, Fat 53.3, SaturatedFat 22.7, Cholesterol 181.6, Sodium 478.5, Carbohydrate 31.6, Fiber 5.2, Sugar 19.2, Protein 44.3
Tips:
- Use fresh, high-quality ingredients. This will make a big difference in the flavor of your lasagna.
- Don't overcook the pasta. It should be al dente, or slightly firm to the bite.
- Make sure the sauce is simmered for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the flavors to develop.
- Use a variety of cheeses. This will give the lasagna a more complex flavor.
- Don't be afraid to experiment. There are many different ways to make lasagna, so feel free to adjust the recipe to your own taste.
Conclusion:
Lasagna is a classic Italian dish that is perfect for a special occasion or a weeknight meal. With its rich, flavorful sauce, tender pasta, and melted cheese, lasagna is sure to please everyone at the table. So next time you're looking for a delicious and satisfying meal, give this bolognese lasagna recipe a try.
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