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 48g, carbohydrate 63g, fat 38 g, saturated fat 17g, fibre 4g, sugar 16g, salt 2.74 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, February 2011.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 21-40

  • Binder photo Lizzieanderson86

    05 March 2012

    Lizzieanderson86 commented on this recipe

    I have the same question as elliottramber :What size dish is 3.5 litre baking dish??

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  • Binder photo Carla

    12 March 2012

    Carla rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    YUMMY, got to be one of the best lasagne recipes i've tasted. Requires more effort than most but really is worth it. Recieved compliments all round and will definately become one of my most trusted recipes

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  • Binder photo RJolly

    14 March 2012

    RJolly rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Best lasagne i've ever made

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  • Binder photo Re Morrill

    22 March 2012

    Re Morrill rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fantastic!! My husband is allergic to carrots and doesn't like celery much so I finely chopped a red pepper instead. It's a long recipe but certainly worth the effort!!! Large lasagne dish necessary in answer to the question above!!

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  • Binder photo lucibel83

    28 March 2012

    lucibel83 rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Recipes

    22 April 2012

    Recipes rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    superb - the only lasagne I will make

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  • Binder photo Mylasagne

    29 May 2012

    Mylasagne rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great recipe! Submit your Lasagne recipes here: www.mylasagne.com

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  • Binder photo lizleicester

    12 June 2012

    lizleicester rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Lovely. Made it over 2 days - infused milk overnight and made the bolognaise sauce so the day we ate it, I only needed to assemble it and bake, otherwise it wouldn't have been ready till bedtime!

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  • Binder photo Menapian

    16 June 2012

    Menapian rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Fricking awesome..

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  • Binder photo marzipan fiend

    02 July 2012

    marzipan fiend rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Great classic recipe. One of the things I made to stock up the freezer before my baby was born. It made enough for 4 foil trays, each with two generous servings...just cook and add salad! Eating the third one tonight to celebrate baby marzipan fiend's 4 week birthday.

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  • Binder photo horvath.lorci

    05 August 2012

    horvath.lorci rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Teri

    28 August 2012

    Teri rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Best recipe I've found so far. Very hard work but well worth the effort. I prepared lots of the meat sauce days before and froze (added extra tomato paste and a pinch of sugar to make it even tastier)so I only needed to make the bechamel sauce on the day. I'll try to add some ham next time but I dont think it will make much difference.

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  • Binder photo Nuria

    21 September 2012

    Nuria rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I have now made this a few times and has turned out well each time.

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  • Binder photo mother inferior

    25 October 2012

    mother inferior commented on this recipe

    I can't praise this highly enough - it's worth all the effort. Most lasagne recipes suffer from being too heavy on tomatoes and oregano but this one is beautifully balanced with real depth of flavour. It's one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted and certainly the best lasagne I've ever had. My boyfriend, who's eaten many lasagnes in Italy, agrees. We ate it with Waitrose Essentials tear and share Cheese and Onion garlic bread which went very well and added a nice bit of crunch.

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  • Binder photo Mairhoney

    27 December 2012

    Mairhoney rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    I have to admit myself disappointed with this recipe. As so many people has raved about it I thought I'd give it a try. Firstly there's a distinct lack of cheese, I prefer a nice cheesy sauce. I found the wine in this quantity overpowering. This seemed to make the addition of any herbs a waste as they were indistinct under the flavor of the wine. As the recipe takes a good 3 hours to make I was hoping for so much more. I'll be sticking to my much simpler but more tasty version from now on.

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  • Binder photo chardonnay

    29 December 2012

    chardonnay commented on this recipe

    Made many lasagne dishes in the past but this was the best. Followed the recipe to the letter and made if for a Boxing Day family gathering. Enjoyed by everyone - i will always make this lasagne recipe.

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  • Binder photo EndearingChaos

    18 January 2013

    EndearingChaos rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made this yesterday for my family. While it was quite time consuming and involved, what lasagna isn't? I needed to alter it a bit due to what was available to me. I used Lean Ground Beef, Mild Italian Sausage and Prosciutto in lieu of the mince and pancetta. I also used Feta cheese that I had on hand in place of the Parmesan. On the final simmer of the meat sauce I added a can of Tomato Sauce to make it a bit more "Saucy". I didn't have cloves on hand so I used 3 Star of Anise for infusing the milk with the Bay Leaves and Onion, and I needed to add a bit more flour to the bechamel to have it thicken properly but that was all, the recipe is FANTASTIC! My husband who has traveled the world and dined in all the best restaurants said it was the best lasagna he has ever had....ever; even my daughter who isn't a fan of lasagna took some for lunch today. My complements and thanks for posting this recipe - definitely a keeper!

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  • Binder photo Liz

    22 January 2013

    Liz rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this when we had friends round on New Year's Eve and it all went. I used all beef mince as one person doesn't eat pork. I have to admit that I usually make Delia's lasagne recipe but this was quicker ( and cheaper!). I will definitely make this version again.

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  • Binder photo Emma

    19 February 2013

    Emma rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Well worth the effort, whole family loved it.

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  • Binder photo sillybanana

    19 March 2013

    sillybanana rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was worth taking my time over. All the family lapped it up and it tasted amazing.

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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 48g, carbohydrate 63g, fat 38 g, saturated fat 17g, fibre 4g, sugar 16g, salt 2.74 g

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