Traditional Lasagne
Serves 8 Time 1½ hours Difficulty 3/5 Ingredients 16 Steps 10
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1½ lb (680 g) ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (28 oz/800 g) crushed tomatoes
- 10–15 basil leaves, chopped or torn
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp white granulated sugar
- 225 ml dry red wine
- 1 pack of lasagne pasta sheets
- 1½ pints (850 ml) béchamel sauce
- Finely-grated parmesan
Steps
- Heat olive oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat until shimmering. Add ground beef. Cook, breaking up with wooden spoon, until liquid evaporates and meat sizzles, 10–15 minutes.
- Stir in wine, scraping pot to loosen fond. Simmer until wine evaporates.
- Add crushed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare béchamel sauce.
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
- Mix basil, oregano, salt and pepper into ragu.
- Place thin layer of ragu in ovenproof dish. Cover with single layer of pasta sheets. Spread layer of béchamel.
- Repeat until meat is used up. Reserve enough béchamel to cover top pasta layer.
- Sprinkle grated parmesan over top.
- Cook on top oven shelf about 45 minutes, or until top is lightly browned and sauce is bubbling.
- Serve.
Notes from the original
- Leaner beef will produce a superior flavor, as it produces less fat.
- Goat cheese works well in the béchamel sauce.
- Look for San Marzano canned tomatoes. They’re more expensive, but are better quality.
- Fresh basil and pepper are recommended.
- You can substitute the ground beef with other meats.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Traditional Lasagne” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-07-21, 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.