Authentic Italian Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients−4servings+

• Celery1 stalk
• Carrot1
• Onion1
• Olive oilgenerous amount
• Fresh pork pancetta100g
• Ground beef500g
• Sausages2
• Red wine1 cup (approx. 200ml)
• Tomato paste1 tablespoon
• Peeled tomatoes (puréed)500g
• Saltto taste
• Black pepperto taste
• Lasagna noodles180g
• Butter100g
• All-purpose flour100g
• Milk1L
• White pepperto taste
• Nutmegto taste
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese80g
• Butter for baking dishas needed

Directions▶ Start cooking

1. Finely dice the celery, carrot, and onion.
2. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large pot and sauté the diced vegetables.
3. Sauté well over medium-low heat, making sure the vegetables don't burn.
4. Finely chop the fresh pork pancetta.
5. Add the chopped pancetta to the sautéed vegetables and cook.
6. Sauté until the pancetta fat renders, is absorbed by the vegetables, and then renders out again.
7. Add the ground beef and brown it.
8. Remove the casings from the sausages, add them along with the ground meat, and cook.
9. Sauté thoroughly until the fat renders out from the meat again.
10. Pour in the red wine and simmer until the alcohol has completely evaporated.
11. Stir in the tomato paste and mix well.
12. Add the puréed peeled tomatoes and mix.
13. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
14. Simmer over low heat for at least 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.⏱ 1h 30m
15. Prepare the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
16. Once the butter is melted, add the flour and cook for about 2 minutes to make a roux.⏱ 2m
17. Gradually whisk in the milk, mixing well to prevent lumps.
18. Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
19. Once the béchamel sauce thickens, remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
20. Spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce on the bottom of a baking dish, then arrange a layer of lasagna noodles.
21. Spread béchamel sauce and ragù sauce over the lasagna noodles.
22. Sprinkle with Parmigiano cheese.
23. Repeat this process to create several layers.
24. For the final layer, pour all remaining béchamel sauce, then add a small amount of ragù sauce for color.
25. Generously sprinkle with Parmigiano cheese.
26. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C (190°C for convection ovens) for about 30 minutes.⏱ 30m
27. For the last 5 minutes, use the grill function to brown the top.⏱ 5m
28. Remove from the oven, let it rest for a while, then slice and serve.

Tips

• You can use a food processor to dice the vegetables.
• When making the ragù sauce, you can dice the vegetables and pancetta together.
• It's important to sauté the vegetables carefully over medium-low heat to prevent burning.
• It's important to sauté until the pancetta fat completely renders, is absorbed by the vegetables, and then renders out again.
• When browning the meat, it's also important to sauté thoroughly until the fat renders out again.
• After adding red wine, ensure the alcohol evaporates completely.
• If the ragù sauce reduces too much, add a little water or broth.
• When making béchamel sauce, after cooking butter and flour to make a roux, cooking for about 2 more minutes will enhance the flavor.
• After removing the lasagna from the oven, let it rest for a while before slicing to help it hold its shape better.

🧑‍🍳 Recipe analysis notes

Supplementary notes from the video analysis. Please check the original video before cooking.

⚠️ Where this goes wrong

• If you don't sauté the vegetables and meat long enough, or scorch them over too high a heat, the ragù loses its depth.
• Adding all the milk to the béchamel at once creates lumps and ruins the smooth texture.
• If the ragù doesn't simmer for at least an hour and a half, the flavors never come together and the sauce tastes flat.

🔄 Substitutions

• Instead of fresh pancetta, use 100 g of bacon finely diced; it can be saltier, so go easy on the salt.
• No sausage? Use 100 g of ground pork with a little fennel, garlic powder, or similar herbs and spices.
• You can swap the peeled tomato purée for 500 g of store-bought tomato sauce, but check it for added sugar and adjust the seasoning.

🎚️ Adjusting the taste

• To cut the saltiness, keep added salt to a minimum when using pancetta and sausage, then taste at the end and add more only if needed.
• To cut the sugar, choose unsweetened tomato paste or purée and sauté the vegetables long enough to draw out their natural sweetness.
• For a lighter version, use lean ground pork instead of pancetta and sausage, and slightly reduce the butter and flour in the béchamel.

✔️ Verification notes

• While the ragù simmers, make sure it isn't reducing too far, and taste to confirm the alcohol from the red wine has fully cooked off.
• Check that the béchamel has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and is perfectly smooth, with no lumps.

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