Lasagne with Red and White Sauce
Serves 8 Time 1 hour 30 minutes Difficulty 4/5 Ingredients 21 Steps 20
Ingredients
Bolognese sauce
- 2–3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2–3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed and minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2–3 mid-sized carrots, chopped small or shredded
- 1–2 sticks of celery, chopped small
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef
- 3–4 cups (0.75 -) tomato pulp or crushed tomatoes
- 7–10 basil leaves, finely chopped
- Salt
- Black pepper
Bechamel sauce
- ½ cup (70 g/2.5 oz) flour
- ½ cup (8 tbsp/1 stick/125 g) butter
- 1 quart (950 ml) whole milk, cold
- Salt
- Pepper
- 4–5 sprigs fresh thyme
- Nutmeg
Other
- 1 box (1 lb) Lasagna noodles, optionally cooked according to package directions
- 1 ½ cups (185 g) grated mozzarella
Steps
Bolognese sauce
- Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic. Stir. Fry 2–3 minutes. Do not burn the garlic.
- Add rosemary, oregano, carrots and celery. Stir. Cook another 2 minutes.
- Stir in the ground beef. Cook until fully browned.
- Stir in the tomato pulp, basil, salt and pepper.
- Cook about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water if too thick.
Bechamel sauce
- Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat.
- When the foam subsides, add the flour. Whisk until smooth and lump-free to make a roux.
- Cook the roux 5–6 minutes on low until the floury taste is gone. Do not brown.
- Gradually stir in the cold milk until fully incorporated, with no lumps.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring, until it simmers.
- Simmer, stirring, a few more minutes.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme and nutmeg.
- Cool.
- Preheat oven to 390°F/200°C.
- Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with a bit of Bolognese sauce.
- Add a layer of lasagna noodles, breaking or cutting to fit.
- Layer on Bolognese sauce and bechamel sauce. Repeat noodles, Bolognese and bechamel up to the rim.
- Cover with mozzarella.
- Bake 30–40 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Notes from the original
- Bolognese sauce is also a great pasta sauce to go with spaghetti.
- The dish can easily be prepared a day ahead and baked when needed.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Lasagne with Red and White Sauce” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-12-03, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.