Lasagne
See this recipe step by step

Lasagne

Little is more satisfying than cooking a classic to perfection - Sarah Cook gives us a lesson in how to make lasagne

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 8

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 1 hr

Cook time

Cook 3 hrs 10 mins

plus milk infusing
Freezable

Method

  1. First infuse the milk for the béchamel sauce. Put the milk, onion, bay and cloves into a large saucepan and bring very gently just up to the boil. Turn off the heat and set aside for 1 hr to infuse.
  2. For the meat sauce, put the oil, celery, onion, carrot, garlic and pancetta in another large saucepan. Gently cook together until the veg are soft but not coloured. Tip in all the mince, the milk and tomatoes. Using a wooden spoon, stir together and break up and mash the lumps of mince against the sides of the pan. When the mince is mostly broken down, stir in all the herbs, the stock cubes and wine, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hr, stirring occasionally to stop the bottom catching. Uncover and gently simmer for another 30 mins-1 hr until the meat is tender and saucy. Taste and season.
  3. To finish the béchamel, strain the milk through a fine sieve into one or two jugs. Melt the butter in the same pan then, using a wooden spoon, mix in the flour and cook for 2 mins. Stir in the strained milk, a little at a time - the mix will thicken at first to a doughy paste, but keep going, adding milk gradually to avoid lumps. When all the milk is in, bring to a gentle simmer, stirring constantly (if you have lumps, give it a quick whisk). Gently bubble for a few mins until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  4. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Spread a spoonful of the meat sauce over the base of a roughly 3.5 litre baking dish. Cover with a single layer of pasta sheets, snapping them to fit if needed, then top with a quarter of the béchamel. Spoon over a third of the meat sauce and scatter over a little Parmesan. Repeat the layers - pasta, béchamel, meat and Parmesan - two more times to use all the meat sauce. Add a final layer of pasta, the last of the béchamel and remaining Parmesan. Sit the dish on a baking tray to catch spills and bake for 1 hr until bubbling, browned and crisp on top.
Try

Make it different

Add a thin layer of ham on top of each layer of béchamel sauce. Or swap the carrot for 2 finely chopped fennel bulbs to add an aniseed note to the meat sauce.

Prepare ahead

Assemble the lasagne completely, then cool. Wrap well in cling film and freeze for up to 3 months. Transfer to the fridge 48 hrs before you want to cook it to defrost, then bake as directed, checking after 1 hr in case it needs an extra 10-15 mins. (If you've frozen any leftovers, defrost in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave until piping hot).

PER SERVING

794 kcalories, protein 48.0g, carbohydrate 63.0g, fat 38.0 g, saturated fat 17.0g, fibre 4.0g, sugar 16.0g, salt 2.74 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, February 2011.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo Pommet

    2011-03-31 00:35:36.326799

    Pommet rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Well worth the effort even my daughter who doesn't like lasagne loved this. Will definitely be making again and again

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  • Binder photo masterchef007

    2011-04-01 20:20:28.297549

    masterchef007 commented on this recipe

    THIS IS AMAZING!!! I have made lots of versions of this family favorite and this beats all of them!! more work than normal but well worth it......its very tasty. BEA....UTIFUL!!!

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  • Binder photo Simmers

    2011-04-20 18:19:01.812871

    Simmers rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Cooked this for the first time for a dinner party and it was a great sucess! Comments like "the best lasange I've ever had!!!" There is a lot of prep and it takes a long time to cook, but its well worth it! I was a bit sceptical about adding milk to the raw meet but it seemed to work out. With the Lasagnes you make from a jar you are told to brown the mince, but thats not the case with this receipe. I messed up the white sauce as I wanted to make more, but I got it back on track eventually! Having the leftovers for dinner tonight! Will definitely make it again. Have fun making yours! Sim

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  • Binder photo owengirl

    2011-04-29 17:03:38.650164

    owengirl rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I can cook almost anything but I have never been able to master lasagne - so I tried this recipe hoping that it would turn out well. It was very good indeed, and have now made lasagne a few times and it has turned out quite well (not as good as the mother in laws though (yet!!)). Only reservation is that because of the red wine in the meat sauce it was a bit strong tasting for my children.

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  • Binder photo Row

    2011-07-31 19:20:26.776585

    Row rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    The only other lasagne I have had which tastes this good is in a back street restaurant in Sorrento. Yes it is a lot of work but well worth the effort. I made it for friends and it really does look very impressive! I make this and freeze it in portions so we can still enjoy it even when I haven't got time to cook. This should be in Good Food's top 10 recipes! (I dont usually bother to write a review but this was just so good I had to).

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  • Binder photo Melissadays

    2011-08-26 14:52:56.44477

    Melissadays rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    The best Lasagne i have ever made

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  • Binder photo Kate

    2011-08-31 21:37:53.164204

    Kate rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Really lovely lasagne recipe. Stuck almost completely to the recipe, (used bacon instead of pancetta) Lush. Definitely worth a bit of faffing. Looking forward to making it again.

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  • Binder photo Jepster

    2011-09-25 20:46:15.990197

    Jepster rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Brilliant!! Took a while, yes, but worth every second. Will def make again!!

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  • Binder photo Anndiner

    2011-10-31 14:56:12.172446

    Anndiner commented on this recipe

    Fantastic! Made it yesterday, so tasty!

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  • Binder photo Tal

    2011-11-05 11:07:13.419925

    Tal commented on this recipe

    I'm looking forward to making this, but I'm a rookie to cooking can someone clarify for the bechamel sauce. The amount of milk, what's 1 1/2 of 1 milk? Many thanks,

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  • Binder photo Mindie

    2011-11-07 07:13:44.275459

    Mindie commented on this recipe

    that should read 1 1/2 litres of milk, I agree not very clear for a learner

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  • Binder photo nemo

    2011-11-30 11:08:52.472676

    nemo rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    turned out lovely! tried it because i wanted to vamp up my bechamel sauce. infusing the milk is genius! didn't put in any pancetta/bacon into the meat as one of my diners is Muslim, but it didn't lose any flavour at all! added a bit of tomato puree to intensify the tomato flavour, and a small bit of cornflour to the meat after it was cooked cos it was slightly watery even after an hour, but all in all, a very good recipe and worth the effort.

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  • Binder photo melanie

    2012-01-14 08:31:09.428323

    melanie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I've made this receipe once before, it was the nicest lasagne i've ever made, i used pork mince with the beef and it was delish. Will definately make again, befect dinner party food.

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  • Binder photo Clare

    2012-01-15 12:21:43.278045

    Clare commented on this recipe

    Gorgeous!

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  • Binder photo same965

    2012-01-15 14:01:30.436139

    same965 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Lots of work but this lasagne worths it. I made only half portion and it will be more than enough for two.

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  • Binder photo KiwiCook

    2012-01-21 15:46:11.623304

    KiwiCook rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    The best, most tastiest lasagne recipe ever! Will make again and again.

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  • Binder photo Michelle,Milan

    2012-01-31 11:26:49.861401

    Michelle,Milan rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I was curious to try this recipe because the bechamel seemed very interesting.In fact it was thumbs up all round from my 2 sons and hubby (all Italian).The verdict was "it's abit different,but very good". Finally a recipe for a ragu sauce that takes at least 2 hours to cook, ideal for the meat to absorb all the flavours.A fantastic sauce to make, freeze and keep on standby for a good "spag bol"! Well done Good Food!

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  • Binder photo Lesley

    2012-02-09 12:05:45.47355

    Lesley rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Best lasagne I have ever made. I'd rather eat a lasagne cooked like this than a quick version.

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  • Binder photo claire

    2012-02-18 18:26:50.2269

    claire rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Made this for the family, they all enjoyed it ! I used to packs of mince rather than half beef half pork. Still tasted great would make again

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  • Binder photo elliottrambler

    2012-02-21 09:48:33.285616

    elliottrambler commented on this recipe

    What size of dish do you need for this recipe?

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 8

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 1 hr

Cook time

Cook 3 hrs 10 mins

plus milk infusing
Freezable

Ingredients

FOR THE BECHAMEL SAUCE

  • 1½l milk
  • 1 onion , thickly sliced
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 cloves
  • 100g butter
  • 100g plain flour
  • good grating of nutmeg
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PER SERVING

794 kcalories, protein 48.0g, carbohydrate 63.0g, fat 38.0 g, saturated fat 17.0g, fibre 4.0g, sugar 16.0g, salt 2.74 g

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