Traditional lasagna alla Bolognese is built on two sauces — a long-cooked meat ragù and a creamy béchamel — rather than ricotta. The béchamel is what gives authentic lasagna its luxurious, custardy layers. Make the ragù ahead if you can; it only gets better.
Ingredients
- Ragù: 500 g (1 lb) ground beef (or beef + pork)
- 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stalk, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic · 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can (700 g) crushed tomatoes · ½ cup red wine
- Béchamel: 60 g butter · 60 g flour · 750 ml milk · pinch nutmeg
- Lasagna pasta sheets · 100 g Parmesan, grated
Method
- Soften the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil until sweet, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, then the meat, and brown well, breaking it up.
- Stir in tomato paste, pour in the wine and let it reduce, then add the crushed tomatoes. Season and simmer gently, partly covered, for at least 1 hour until thick and rich.
- For the béchamel, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook until it thickly coats a spoon. Season with salt and nutmeg.
- Assemble in a baking dish: a thin layer of ragù, then pasta sheets, more ragù, a layer of béchamel, a dusting of Parmesan. Repeat until everything's used, finishing with béchamel and a generous layer of Parmesan.
- Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 35–40 minutes until bubbling and golden. Rest 15 minutes before slicing so the layers set.
🧀 Rest before you cut
Cutting straight from the oven gives you a slumping mess. Let lasagna sit 15 minutes — it firms up into clean, stackable layers.