The Best Lasagne Bolognese

A slow-cooked bolognese, silky homemade pasta sheets and a rich bechamel, layered into an unforgettable lasagne.

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Recipe Info
Servings: 6
Prep: 2h
Cook: 4h 30m
Total: 6h 30m
Ingredients
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g beef mince
  • 500g pork mince
  • 200g pancetta, chopped into small pieces
  • 2 small brown onions, finely diced
  • 2 carrots, finely diced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (about 4 big sprigs)
  • 2 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
  • 150ml tomato purée
  • 700ml white wine (such as sauvignon blanc)
  • 950ml chicken stock
  • 475ml whole milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 450g '00' flour
  • 50g semola rimacinata flour (or use 500g '00' flour if you can't find semola)
  • 280g eggs, weighed without shells (about 5 large eggs)
  • 70g butter
  • 70g plain flour
  • 800ml milk
  • 100g parmesan, finely grated or crumbled (for the bechamel)
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 200g parmesan, finely grated or crumbled, divided (for layering)
  • Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
  1. Make the bolognese, ideally a day or two ahead (or up to a week or more, frozen). Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat and brown half the mince, leaving it fairly unbroken for good colour; it doesn’t need to cook through. Set aside and repeat with the remaining mince.
  2. Heat the remaining oil in a heavy-bottomed casserole dish over medium heat and fry the pancetta for 10 minutes until nicely browned. Lift out with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.
  3. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a good pinch of salt and pepper and gently fry until soft, about 10 minutes, lowering the heat if it browns too fast. After 5 minutes add the garlic and herbs and continue cooking.
  4. Return the meat and pancetta to the pan and stir in the tomato paste. Cook out for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat well with a wooden spoon. Add the wine and let it reduce for 8-10 minutes, until the meat is fully broken up.
  5. Add the stock and milk and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then lower the heat right down and cook uncovered for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has mostly reduced and it tastes rich. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste — it should be slightly salty, as it will sit between layers of pasta. Cool, cover and refrigerate. You should have about 1.4 litres of bolognese; reheat gently to loosen before using.
  6. Make the pasta dough (or use fresh shop-bought lasagne sheets to save time) using the ‘00’ flour, semola and eggs, following your usual method, then rest it. Divide into 6 pieces, keeping the rest wrapped, and roll each out as thinly as your machine allows, cutting each sheet in half to give roughly 15 x 26cm sheets — about 12 in total, layered between baking paper.
  7. Blanch the pasta sheets two at a time in well-salted boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge into cold water. Pat dry and re-layer between baking paper — time-consuming, but it strengthens the sheets for assembly.
  8. Make the bechamel: melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk in the flour and cook for a minute until it smells nutty. Turn the heat down and gradually whisk in the milk, working the flour paste from the base and sides of the pan. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking, until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in 100g parmesan in a few additions until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally to stop a skin forming.
  9. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and lightly grease a 35 x 24cm lasagne dish with butter.
  10. Spread a heaped cup of bolognese over the base, top with about 1/2 cup bechamel, then lay two pasta sheets side by side, overlapping slightly in the middle and up the edges of the dish.
  11. Repeat the layers of bolognese, bechamel, pasta and a scattering of parmesan (reserving 100g for the top), building up five layers of pasta in total — trim the middle layers to fit within the dish and let the top and bottom layers overlap up the sides for crispy edges. Grate the zest of the lemon over the ragù at the third layer of pasta — don’t skip this, it adds a lovely note.
  12. Finish with a final layer of ragù, the last cup of bechamel, and the reserved 100g parmesan evenly dusted over the top.
  13. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until cooked through, the edges are browned and the top is bubbly and golden.
  14. Let the lasagne firm up for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving, with an extra dusting of parmesan.
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