Neither cheap nor quick, but very delicious and well worth the effort. This original and authentic lasagna Bolognese (Italian: Lasagne Bolognese) recipe is made with lasagna noodles, authentic Bolognese sauce, Parmesan cheese, and Béchamel.
A Note on the Ingredients
- Make your own Bolognese sauce with 1/2 lb of pork and 1/2 lb of beef (250 g each). It will yield approx. 2 lbs. (1 kg) of sauce.
- Original Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano) will make this the real thing. If you have to substitute it with something else, use Grana Padano or maybe Emmental. The stronger the flavor, the better.
- When it comes to lasagna noodles, pick good-quality Italian noodles with eggs, like Barilla. If you are brave enough and have a pasta maker, you can prepare them yourself. Important! Do not cook the pasta before putting it into the pan! Moisture coming from the Bolognese and béchamel sauces will soften the noodles. Use thinner Béchamel than usual (add a bit less flour).
- This quantity will make four layers in a 13″ x 9″ (33 x 23 cm) baking pan. Divide the meat into 5 portions (one goes under the bottom layer of the lasagna noodles), the béchamel into 4 portions, and the cheese into 5 portions again (the top layer of cheese has to be doubled to get a nice color).
- The cooking time indicated for this lasagna Bolognese recipe doesn’t include the cooking time for the Bolognese sauce and the béchamel.
How to Serve Lasagna Bolognese
Take your lasagna Bolognese out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut it into squares. Serve it as is or with some green salad. It is a heavy but very delicious meal.
Enjoy!
Authentic Lasagna Bolognese
Lasagna Bolognese is one of the best-known and most delicious Italian dishes. It takes 15 minutes to assemble with original Bolognese sauce.
Ingredients
- Bechamel sauce made from 1 quart (1 liter) of milk
- Bolognese sauce made from 1 pound (500 g) of meat
- 12 oz lasagna noodles 350 g
- 7 oz Parmesan cheese 200 g
Instructions
- Prepare your Bolognese sauce. This will take 3 hours, so you’d better think ahead. You can make the sauce weeks before making the lasagna; it freezes well.
- Prepare your bechamel sauce and grate the Parmesan cheese.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- To prepare your lasagna Bolognese, first butter a 13×9-inch baking pan. Then start with a layer of Bolognese sauce.
- Arrange one layer of lasagna noodles to cover the bottom of the baking pan (over your thin Bolognese layer). If necessary, break your noodles into smaller pieces to cover the baking pan evenly. Make sure the pieces don’t overlap, so they can cook through.
- Spread béchamel over the noodles. Make sure it covers them completely. Without doing so, the pasta wouldn’t cook through properly.
- Add Bolognese sauce and sprinkle it with a generous layer of grated Parmesan cheese.
- Continue layering. On top of the cheese comes another layer of pasta, then béchamel, Bolognese sauce, and grated cheese. The top layer of the lasagna Bolognese should be béchamel mixed with Bolognese sauce and sprinkled with double the amount of cheese.
- Bake your lasagna Bolognese for about an hour. It is ready when the edges of the pasta are rippled and the cheese on top is crispy and has a wonderful brownish-red color.
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