The Lasagne of your dreams

This Lasagne is made with a simple Homemade Bechamél Sauce, a rich and delicate Beef Ragù and Cheese as should be obvious. What’s not to cherish?

First of all, let me just get my food snobbery out the way – I have never found a store bought lasagne that comes even close to a homemade lasagne. There, I said it.

The main thing to note about homemade lasagne is that whilst the steps are fairly straight forward, it takes time. There is no such thing as a quick lasagne, not one worth eating anyway! (sorry, the snobbery stops there).

Ingredients:

Ragu

• 2.2lb / 1kg Ground Beef (see notes)
• 3.5oz / 100g Pancetta, finely diced
• 2 cups / 500ml Tomato Passata (Pureed Tomatoes in USA)
• 2 cups / 500ml Beef Stock
• 1 cup / 250ml Red Wine
• 2 ribs of Celery, finely diced
• 2 medium Carrots, grated on a box grater
• 1 large White Onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of Garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in USA)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1/4 cup each: Fresh Basil, Fresh Parsley, finely diced (plus extra to garnish)
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1.5 tsp Sugar, or to taste
• Salt & Pepper, to taste
• Olive Oil, as needed

Bechamel Sauce

• 4 cups / 1 litre Milk, at room temp
• 5 tbsp Plain Flour
• 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1/2 small Nutmeg, grated
• 3.5oz / 100g Parmesan, grated (save some to top)
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

Lasagne

• 12oz / 350g Fresh Lasagne Sheets (see notes)
• 2 cups / 200g Mozzarella, shredded

Instructions:

Ragu

1. Drizzle around 1 tbsp olive oil into a large pot over medium heat. Add beef, break it up with a wooden spoon and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue to fry until fully browned, then pour into your lasagne dish (discarding any excess fat).
2. Add Pancetta and fry until it releases fat and begins to brown. Add onion, celery and carrot, and continue frying until they soften and begin to brown. Add garlic at the last minute, then add your tomato puree (tomato paste).
3. Fry tomato puree for a few mins, then deglaze with your wine. Allow the wine to reduce for a few mins, then add back in your beef. Stir to coat beef.
4. Pour in your beef stock, tomato passata, parsley, basil, oregano, bay leaves, 1 tsp sugar, salt & pepper (to taste). Turn heat to low, pop on a lid and allow to simmer for at least 1 hour 30 mins, stirring occasionally. Then take off lid and allow the sauce to reduce, another 20-30mins should be fine. Meanwhile…

Bechamel Sauce

1. Melt your butter in a suitably sized pot over medium heat. Add flour, then stir into a paste.
2. Gradually pour in your milk, whisking as you go to ensure lumps don’t form. Allow the sauce to simmer away for 5-10mins to thicken, then add your nutmeg, parmesan and salt & pepper (to taste). Stir to combine, taste for seasoning, then remove from heat.
3. You want the sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but not so thick it won’t pour.

Lasagne

1. Pre heat oven to 356f/180c
2. In a 9×13″ (or close to) baking dish, spread a few spoons of ragu. This is so the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom.
3. Your layers will then go as follows: Pasta sheets, Ragu, Bechamel Sauce, Mozzarella. The last layer will be pasta sheets, then Bechamel, then mozzarella and parmesan to top. That’s 4 layers of pasta, 4 layers of Ragu (including very bottom layer), 4 layers of Bechamel and 4 layers of mozzarella.
4. Pop in the oven for 30-40mins or until the surface is deep golden (Some ‘burnt’ parts are fine, extra flavour). Let it sit for at least 15mins. This is important or it will be too liquidy. That and it’ll burn the roof of your mouth off.
5. Serve with an extra sprinkle of basil or parsley. Enjoy!