Maybe you're not a nonna. And you didn't inherit a faded recipe for lasagna Bolognese from one, either. Not to worry. What matters is that this version of the Italian classic tastes as though it's been perfected over generations. The dish's complex sauce, rich béchamel, and—here's the secret—eight impossibly thin pasta layers (yes, homemade) create a brilliantly balanced bite. Time and dedication to each and every element turn this recipe into one thatyourgrandkids (and friends) will be begging for.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
Bolognese sauce:
Fresh pasta dough:
Béchamel:
Assembly:
Special Equipment
Up to two days ahead
Step 1
Make the Bolognese sauce
Pulse onion, carrot, and celery in a food processor until finely chopped.Step 2
热橄榄油在一个大他沉重的锅中at. Add ground beef, ground pork, pancetta, and vegetables; cook, breaking up ground meat with a spoon, until moisture is almost completely evaporated and meat is well browned, 25–30 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Add wine to pot and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Add milk; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until moisture is almost completely evaporated, 8–10 minutes. Add tomatoes and 2 cups broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, adding water by 1/2-cupfuls if sauce looks dry, until flavors meld and sauce thickens, 2 1/2–3 hours.
Step 4
Let sauce cool, then cover and chill at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. (Letting the sauce sit will give it a deeper, richer flavor.)
Up to one day ahead
Step 5
Make the fresh pasta dough
Whisk salt and 3 cups flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center, and crack eggs into well. Mix eggs with a fork, then slowly mix in flour until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting lightly with flour if sticky, until smooth, about 5 minutes (it will be fairly stiff). Wrap in plastic; let sit until dough holds an indentation when pressed, 1–2 hours.Step 6
Chill dough if you are not rolling it out right away. Bring to room temperature before rolling out, about 1 hour.
Step 7
Make the noodles
设置面食制造商厚设置;灰尘轻轻with flour. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping remaining dough wrapped in plastic as you work, flatten dough into a narrow rectangle (no wider than mouth of machine); pass through rollers . Fold dough as needed to fit and run through again. Repeat without folding, adjusting machine to thinner settings after every pass and dusting with flour if sticky, until pasta sheet is 1/16" thick (setting 8 on most machines). Place pasta sheets on a lightly floured surface and cut crosswise into 16 8"-long noodles.Step 8
If making noodles ahead, stack on a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper between each layer. Cover with plastic wrap; chill.
Step 9
Make the béchamel
Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in warm milk, 1/2-cupful at a time. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until the consistency of cream, 8–10 minutes; add nutmeg and season with salt. Remove from heat, transfer to a medium bowl, and press plastic wrap directly onto surface; let cool slightly. Chill if not using right away.Day of
Step 10
Reheat the sauces
Combine Bolognese sauce and remaining 1 cup broth in a large saucepan over medium heat, and heat until sauce is warmed through.Step 11
Meanwhile, if you made the béchamel ahead of time, heat in a medium saucepan over low heat just until warmed through (you don't want to let it boil).
Step 12
Cook the noodles
在批次,新鲜的烤宽面条煮方便面a large pot of boiling salted water until just softened, about 10 seconds. Remove carefully with tongs and transfer to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Drain noodles and stack on a baking sheet, with paper towels between each layer, making sure noodles don't touch (they'll stick together).Step 13
Assemble the lasagna
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13x9" baking dish with butter.Step 14
Spread 1/4 cup béchamel in the prepared baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, spread over a scant 3/4 cup Bolognese sauce, then 1/2 cup béchamel, and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat process 7 more times, starting with noodles and ending with Parmesan, for a total of 8 layers. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake lasagna until bubbling and beginning to brown on top, 50–60 minutes. Let lasagna sit 45 minutes before serving.
Step 15
Lasagna can be assembled 12 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before baking. Cook, covered with foil until the last 20 minutes, then finish cooking uncovered.
Homemade pasta is great: It's rich, and can be rolled very thin. But of course it's not your only option:
Fresh store-bought:Available in the refrigerated section of specialty stores and Italian grocers. Usually a bit thicker than what our recipe calls for but still a good choice. Buy 1 1/2 pounds. Sizes vary by shop; if needed, trim the noodles during assembly to fill pan without much overlap.
Dried:If you spot imported dried egg noodles, they're worth the splurge, but standard supermarket durum wheat will work just fine (avoid no-boil, though). Supermarket noodles are thicker, so make fewer layers. Cook 24 noodles (1–1 1/2 boxes) per package instructions; divide sauces evenly among 6 layers. Trim noodles as needed.
Leave a Review
Reviews (76)
Back to TopExcellent lasagna. This is not a weeknight dish, but definitely a weekend dish. I ended up with too much bechamel -- maybe reduce that by a quarter. Also, be sure to start the bechamel while you make the sauce if you are doing it all in one day to just save time. I make this with store-bought dried noodles and using a truly shocking amount of boiling water is key to getting them to not stick. This is my go-to lasagna now, certainly a special dish. It freezes wonderfully, and I pack servings up in individual sous vide pouches and even use the sous vide to reheat them -- much better result than microwaving if you have the time.
Anonymous
Washington, DC
1/18/2022
wow, delicious! I made it exactly as written, but all in one day and it was still very tasty and a wonderful lasagna. Leftovers the next day were also fantastic. I can't imagine it being better than it was, but making the sauce in advance would be a game changer on the amount of work if nothing else! Don't have a pasta roller so I followed the instructions for store-bought fresh noodles.
Chicago
1/27/2021
I didn't let the bolognese sit for 12 hours, which may be why I found the sauce a bit bland. I added some cracked red pepper, oregano and garlic while it was cooking to improve the flavor. I also found that the bechamel was too water as described, so I cooked for longer and whisked in some more flour into more butter, then added that to the sauce to thicken it. Ultimately, it turned out well. I will add even more garlic and be a bit more liberal with salt next time.
mortimerstreet
Boston, MA
4/5/2020
SO GOOD! I've made this recipe as-is with the fresh pasta sheets, and I've also made it with store-bought dried lasagna noodles and I have to say - it's worth it making your own from scratch. (Even if it takes you all day) :)
andrea276
Vancouver, Canada
3/30/2020
Followed the instructions for the sauce nearly to a T (added a little extra beef and bacon) and it came out perfectly and sooo delicious. I made that 2 days ahead of time. I used store bought boil lasagna noodles and they worked well. My only qualm with this recipe is that it tasted better when it was reheated piece by piece in the microwave than it did when it was fresh out of the oven (after resting 45 minutes as the recipe called). I also had to add extra sauce and salt when serving it. So my suggestion would be to serve it with sauce and sauce after reheating and it will be amazing!
foxtart
Santa Cruz, CA
5/16/2019
I'm a bit nervous about making this for the first time for a large dinner party. Can you successfully make ahead and freeze the pasta sheets? I want to be sure that I truly can make the pasta and not be in a jam if there is an utter failure. Also, has anyone made the lasagna ahead (the morning of) and just reheated while guests were having appetizers? If so, how long to reheat and was it as good? Thank you!
millcreek12
Fort Jones, CA
4/29/2019
Such an amazing recipe!!! It takes time, but it is absolutely worth it. This lasagne is also just as good reheated in the oven. We will be making it again soon!
mmollyobrienn
New Orleans, LA
3/14/2019
This is my family's Christmas Eve tradition ever since I found this recipe three years ago. For those who say they miss the gooey cheese and whatnot are missing the point of this dish entirely. It's delicate, rich and beautiful when prepared with care. It never fails to completely floor people when they doubt the concept. Take the time to follow the directions to a T, including making the pasta from scratch and making the bolognese at least a day in advance, and you will discover a whole new world of food love!
sullysue
Ft. Worth, TX
12/27/2018
If you want a gooey, mozzarella and ricotta filled lasagne, this is not for you. If you want an intensely flavorful, take me back to Italy recipe, it’s a keeper. I didn’t make the homemade noodles - I used some dry that I got in a gift basket from Eataly and they were delicious. I also substituted sweet Italian sausage because I didn’t have ground pork. It took me two days to make but was worth the effort. My husband declared it the best lasagna he’s ever had and I’d concur.
itajkim
Peninsula, OH
12/18/2018
As others have stated, this is labor intensive. I added some seasoning and garlic to the meat as i thought it was bland otherwise. I missed the gooeyness of ricotta and mozzarella though. The homemade noodles were life changing. Will have a hard time using boxed pasta again. When I make again I will just add what I missed understanding that it will no longer be authentic bolognese.
suzyz
Haworth, NJ
5/27/2018
This is now my go to when I make lasagna I do make a few changes, I use ground turkey, spicy and sweet turkey sausage, instead of beef as my husband doesn't eat beef. This is a lot of work but well worth the effort.
happyck
Los Angeles, CA
2/21/2018
My favorite lasagna recipe as I am not a fan of tons of ricotta in my lasagna. This is my go to Christmas dish. Making the fresh pasta is key to this recipe and is definitely worth the effort. You simply can’t get those gossamer layers of pasta from store bought.
Anonymous
NYC
12/5/2017
This lasagna is stellar with homemade noodles. It is very similar to the lasagna I loved in Florence. I only make this for special occasions, but have gotten rave reviews every time I make it. I add some garlic to the bolognese and béchamel, and I add freshly grated nutmeg to the béchamel as well.
katandres
Springfield, NJ
10/28/2017
This is a stand out recipe and one that should stay in the family for generations. I've had lasagna bolognese in some very fine restaurants, and this one stands above them. Make no mistake, it is a labor of love, as it is time and labor intensive, but worth every minute. If you make it over a couple of days that lessens the workload. Homemade pasta is a must here. Trying to cut corners will only diminish the final, spectacular result.
Anonymous
NYC
10/8/2017
This is a delicious recipe!!! My husband absolutely loves it (he says it's the best lasagna he's ever had). It is definitely labor intensive (it's not difficult, but it is time consuming). Basically, I only make this for hubs birthday :) I either have to prep the sauces and pasta dough the day ahead, or I basically set aside a whole day to make it all at once. It is great as is, but I have/ will do the following revisions: -The amount of dough this yields is much more than you will need for the lasagna! Last time, I rolled it all out and ended up freezing half of the sheets to use later (made wontons out of them another day); this time, I rolled out half of the dough and froze the other half in a ball. I had the exact number of noodles I needed (I cut it pretty close lol) -I love cheese... so I grate more than 2 cups of parm/ pecorino romano and use a little extra in each layer and on top -The sauce doesn't call for much in terms of spices... I add: crushed red pepper, herbs de Provence, oregano, and 3+ cloves of roughly chopped garlic -The sauce is majority meat, very little in terms of tomato (which is still delicious and fine as is), but I would like some more tomato in there next time so I plan to add a can of diced tomatoes (thinking a big 28 oz can); I'm hoping this will increase the quantity enough so there is some extra on the side to top the lasagna with when serving (per husband's request.. I don't think it needs extra sauce on top, I just want some chunks of tomatoes in the middle). Overall, this recipe is a keeper!
jamiemae5
Long Beach, CA
8/21/2017
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