Lasagne with Ragù alla Bolognese
Med
2.5+hrs
8
Lasagne with Ragù alla Bolognese
Rated 4.6 stars by 7 users
Category
Dinners
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
8
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
2 hours 30 minutes
Rest Time
30 minutes
A classic and rich lasagne built on a slowly simmered beef and pork ragù topped with a silky layer of béchamel spiced with Quatre Épices. This is the kind of recipe that rewards patience: both the ragù and béchamel can be made in advance, making assembly straightforward.
Ingredients
-
100g unsalted butter
-
100g plain flour
-
1L milk
- 1 tsp Gewürzhaus Quatre Épices
-
100g parmesan, finely grated
-
1 tsp sea salt
-
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-
1 carrot, finely chopped
-
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
-
1 brown onion, finely chopped
-
6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1½ tbsp Gewürzhaus Spaghetti alla Bolognese
-
2 bay leaves
-
600g beef mince
-
600g pork mince
-
2 tbsp tomato paste
-
1 cup red wine
-
400g can crushed tomatoes
-
1 cup milk
-
2 cups beef stock
-
Sea salt, to taste
-
Black pepper, to taste
-
8 fresh lasagna sheets
-
350g mozzarella, grated
-
50g parmesan, finely grated
Béchamel Sauce
Ragù
Assembly
Directions
Béchamel Sauce
Warm the milk in a saucepan and set aside. In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly until the roux turns lightly golden. Gradually pour in a little of the warm milk, whisking continuously to prevent lumps, then increase the heat to medium-high and pour in the remaining milk. Whisk for 6–7 minutes until the sauce thickens but remains slightly pourable — it should coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, stir in the Quatre Épices, parmesan and salt. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Ragù
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep, heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 8–10 minutes until softened. Add the Spaghetti alla Bolognese and bay leaves and cook for a further 5 minutes until fragrant.
Add the mince and cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until well browned. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, then add the wine and crushed tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the milk and stock, bring to the boil, then reduce to low–medium and simmer for 90 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and reduced. Add a splash of extra liquid if it reduces too quickly.
Spread the ragù onto a large tray and cool uncovered for 20–30 minutes. While it cools, preheat the oven to 200°C fan-forced.
Assembly
Use a 33 x 22cm oven dish or similar. Spread a thin layer of ragù across the base, then cover with 2 lasagna sheets, tearing them to fit if needed. Spread over a thin layer of ragù, followed by 2 tbsp of béchamel and a small handful of mozzarella. Top with 2 more lasagna sheets and repeat the process 3 more times.
For the final layer, spread the remaining ragù over the lasagna sheets, then top with the remaining béchamel, mozzarella and parmesan. The lasagne should sit neatly within the dish without overflowing.
Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Rest for 5–10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Comments
This is the best ragu recipe ever! I doubled the amount of ingredients as I do a lot of batch cooking and used oregano and thyme instead of spaghetti a la bolognese. I’ll be making this again, so tasty. Thank you!
