A Classic Lasagna is made with layers of pasta sheets, a hearty Ragù Bolognese, creamy Béchamel (Besciamella) sauce and lots of melty cheese.
This recipe can be made with or without ricotta cheese added – without is more classically Italian and with is more classically American-Italian. Both versions are delicious, make it your favorite way!
Ah, Lasagna. This was the first recipe I ever wanted to share here on the blog. But in actual time, it has taken me close to 7 years to put it up. Why? Well, because Lasagna takes time and some effort, and I was afraid this wouldn’t go down well. (I mean, there is no shortage of shortcut lasagna recipes out there, I myself have a Ravioli Lasagna and a Lasagna Soup… And a Skillet Lasagna here on the blog.)
But then I remembered how many of you will gladly put in the time and effort to make my not-quick Shepherd’s Pie, and I figured I should get around to sharing my Lasagna already. Disclaimer: I’m not claiming this to be the authentic, one and only Lasagna recipe out there. But it’s my recipe (OK, my husband’s recipe) and it is delicious 😉
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- The individual ingredients for Béchamel sauce and Ragù Bolognese are shown below!
- Lasagna sheets: I used oven ready lasagna sheets and I soaked them in just-boiled water for a few minutes before using. Fresh lasagna sheets can also be used.
- Ricotta: This is not necessarily classically Italian, but it is classic in American-Italian lasagna recipes. My lasagna works without ricotta if you want to omit it.
- I strongly recommend you don’t take any shortcuts when it comes to the Béchamel (besciamella) and the Bolognese sauce here. My recipe is not fancy or anything, but it does take time to make. In my humble opinion, the time is worth it.
Ingredients for Bolognese Sauce: Italian sausage, ground beef, onion, garlic, celery, carrot, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, red wine, sugar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
I will share the steps to make the sauces in the recipe card below, but for more tips and notes on those recipes (plus more step by step photos), I recommend to go check out the post on Béchamel Sauce and the post on Bolognese Sauce.
How to make Lasagna from scratch
First, you’ll want to get your Bolognese sauce going. This sauce needs to simmer for 1-2 hours to fully develop its flavor, so it’s the first thing you’ll want to make.
sauté sofrito brown beef and sausage add remaining ingredients simmer
Once your Bolognese sauce is done, you’ll want to make your creamy white sauce – aka the Béchamel or Besciamella.
combine butter and flour cook for a few minutes gradually whisk in milk cook until thickened
Finally, you’re ready to assemble your Lasagna. Follow the package directions for your Lasagna sheets to prep them (mine asked to soak the sheets in boiled water for a few minutes prior to using, so that’s what I did).
Set aside 1 cup of the Béchamel sauce for the final layer (!). Then, layer your ingredients as follows:
spread thin layer of Béchamel cover with Lasagna sheets cover with ⅓ of Bolognese sauce cover with ⅓ of remaining Béchamel
Repeat these layers two more times (lasagna noodles – Bolognese sauce – Béchamel sauce (plus cheese, if you like)).
And then finish with a layer of lasagna noodles, top this with the cup of Béchamel sauce you reserved.
finish with… … lasagna noodles, white sauce and cheese.
Top with plenty of shredded mozzarella cheese and bake!
Allow the finished lasagna to rest on a cooling rack on the counter for 15-20 minutes before slicing to serve.
Recipe tips
- Make sure to allow enough time to complete all of the components you need to assemble the lasagna. Especially the meat sauce will take a few hours to cook, and it’s best to allow it to cool before layering the lasagna.
- Make sure you remember to set aside 1 cup of the Béchamel sauce before layering the casserole. You need this to cover the final layer of lasagna noodles. For some reason I was always short on sauce for the top, no matter how careful I tried to measure. Now I always set some aside first. It’s important to have enough sauce for the final layer, otherwise the top of the lasagna will be dry.
- Do not skip the resting time after baking, otherwise your Lasagna will fall apart when serving.
Lasagna Recipe FAQs
My lasagna has 4 layers of lasagna noodles and 4 layers of Béchamel sauce, and 3 layers of Bolognese sauce.
Many recipes use a thin layer of tomato sauce or meat sauce first, but my husband prefers a thin layer of Béchamel. This is the way he was taught when he trained to become a professional chef.
You want some sauce at the bottom of the dish so the bottom layer of lasagna noodles don’t dry out, and so they don’t stick and scorch to the dish. In my opinion, a layer of Bolognese sauce on the bottom is less convenient because it can make a huge mess when scooping the lasagna, and it will never cling to your noodles anyways.
A thin layer of Béchamel on the other hand clings to the noodles, keeps them from sticking to the dish and doesn’t make any big messes.
Yes, you can assemble the lasagna up to 24 hours ahead of baking it.
Allow both sauces to cool to room temperature before assembling your casserole. Tightly cover the dish with plastic wrap and store in the fridge.
Once ready to bake, heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Uncover the lasagna and allow it to sit on the counter while the oven pre-heats.
Once the oven is hot, place the dish with the lasagna on a baking sheet on the middle rack and bake for 45-60 minutes, until piping hot and bubbly all the way through.
You should allow your lasagna to rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing it to serve.
This will allow the sauces to firm up, and your Lasagna will come out less messy. Slices will actually hold together on plates vs collapsing into sloppy messes.
If your Lasagna is watery, it can be due to serval factors:
– You didn’t cook your meat sauce long enough, so it wasn’t thick enough when you added it to your casserole.
– You made your Béchamel too thin (do not alter the recipe in the card below, and make sure to carefully measure all ingredients).
– You didn’t fully drain your Lasagna noodles before adding them to the casserole.
– You didn’t let your Lasagna rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing.
– Follow the layering process exactly to ensure your Lasagna layers will cling together.
– Make sure to allow the Lasagna to rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.
– Slice the Lasagna with a knife, not with a wooden spoon or spatula (use a blunt knife/butter knife! otherwise you’ll scratch your pan).
– Slide a thin offset spatula below the Lasagna slice to fully release it from the pan before lifting it out with our largest offset wooden/silicone spoon or spatula you own.
– Carefully place the slice on the wooden spoon on the plate at a slight angle (make sure the spoon rests on the plate). Use a knife or thin offset spatula to slowly slide the Lasagna off the spoon and onto the plate.
These detailed steps are making me sound completely insane, but that’s the exact process I go through to serve neat slices. So… Feel free to laugh at me, but this works 😉
It depends on what you consider authentic – classic Italian recipes do not have ricotta cheese added. But most classic American recipes use ricotta cheese.
I have opted to share a recipe you can make both with or without ricotta. If you make my recipe without ricotta, it is a more classic Italian recipe. But many people (me included!) do like the taste of ricotta in Lasagna, so I do mostly add it when I make Lasagna for my family.
What I don’t like as much is a Lasagna with ricotta that doesn’t add Béchamel sauce. To me, a Lasagna just needs the creamy texture the Béchamel adds.
Serving ideas
Lasagna has a lot of things going on, so other than maybe adding a vegetable or salad, you don’t really need anything (I mean, garlic bread is obviously nice…)
Our favorite side is a big leafy green salad with either balsamic vinaigrette or white balsamic vinaigrette.
A cucumber tomato salad is also great, or some simple vegetables like sautéed zucchini, sautéed green beans or air fryer asparagus.
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Classic Lasagna
Recipe details
Ingredients
Bolognese sauce (meat sauce):
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots very finely diced
- 2 sticks celery very finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage or sausages with casings removed
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar as needed
- salt and pepper to taste
Béchamel (white sauce):
- 8 tablespoons butter
- ¾ cup flour measure correctly! spoon flour into measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife. Otherwise you will end up with way too much flour!
- 4 ½ cups milk
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg or more to taste
- 1 cup grated Parmesan reduce to ½ cup if using ricotta
- 1 cup ricotta cheese optional
- salt and pepper to taste use enough salt, or the sauce will be bland; salt after adding cheese
To assemble Lasagna:
- 1 (16-oz) box oven-ready lasagna sheets may not need all; but better safe than sorry (I used 20 Lasagna noodles for my Lasagna)
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese plus more to sprinkle between layers if desired
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley to serve (optional)
Instructions
Make Bolognese sauce (meat sauce):
- Heat olive oil in a large, wide pan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and sauté slowly until onion has fully softened, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add ground beef and sausage and brown over medium-high heat, breaking up meat as it cooks.
- Stir in tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until tomato paste has roasted and smells flavorful (do not burn!).
- Pour in red wine, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer until wine has reduced by ⅓ (do not simmer any longer, or wine may become too acidic).
- Stir in crushed tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, add bay leaves. Bring to a boil once, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover with a lid.
- Simmer sauce covered for 1-2 hours, then remove lid and simmer for 15 more minutes, until rich and thick. Season with sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Make Béchamel (white sauce):
- Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat (saucepan needs to hold at least 2 quart).
- Whisk flour into butter and cook, whisking constantly, for 2-4 minutes. Flour must not brown.
- Gradually whisk milk into flour/butter mixture, do not allow lumps to form. Once all milk has been added, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce has thickened, whisking constantly (if sauce hasn’t thickened after 5 minutes, heat setting is too low – increase a little until sauce is just bubbling and thickens).
- If you added too much flour, the sauce will be paste-like and you’ll need to thin it out a little until it is creamy but thick. Do not add too much milk, or your Lasagna won’t hold together. Make sure to measure your flour correctly initially!)
- Stir parmesan cheese and ricotta (if using) into the sauce, then season with ground nutmeg and add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.
Assemble Lasagna:
- Heat oven to 360°F (180°C). Prepare Lasagna noodles according to package directions (I used an oven-ready kind that asked to soak the noodles for a couple of minutes in just-boiled water).
- Set aside 1 cup of the Béchamel sauce.
- Spread a thin layer (a few tablespoons) of Béchamel sauce in a 9×13 inch (22cm x 33cm) casserole dish. Top with one layer of Lasagna noodles. Top with ⅓ of meat sauce. Top with ⅓ of remaining Béchamel sauce (sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese, if desired).
- Repeat layers two more times (lasagna noodles – meat sauce – béchamel sauce; lasagna noodles – meat sauce – béchamel sauce).
- Add a final layer of lasagna noodles, then top with the 1 cup of Béchamel sauce you set aside.
- Top with 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese and with 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese.
- Bake Lasagna for 30-45 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned on top (check Lasagna noodle package for baking time required for your exact noodles).
- Allow Lasagna to rest on a cooling rack on the counter for 15-20 minutes before slicing to serve. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if you like.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Lasagna sheets: I used oven ready lasagna sheets and I soaked them in just-boiled water for a few minutes before using. Fresh lasagna sheets can also be used.
- Ricotta: This is not necessarily classically Italian, but it is classic in American-Italian lasagna recipes. My lasagna works without ricotta if you want to omit it.
- I strongly recommend you don’t take any shortcuts when it comes to the Béchamel (besciamella) and the Bolognese sauce here. My recipe is not fancy or anything, but it does take time to make. In my humble opinion, the time is worth it.
Recipe tips
- Make sure to allow enough time to complete all of the components you need to assemble the lasagna. Especially the meat sauce will take a few hours to cook, and it’s best to allow it to cool before layering the lasagna.
- Make sure you remember to set aside 1 cup of the Béchamel sauce before layering the casserole. You need this to cover the final layer of lasagna noodles. For some reason I was always short on sauce for the top, no matter how careful I tried to measure. Now I always set some aside first. It’s important to have enough sauce for the final layer, otherwise the top of the lasagna will be dry.
- Do not skip the resting time after baking, otherwise your Lasagna will fall apart when serving.
Make ahead
You can assemble the lasagna up to 24 hours ahead of baking it. Allow both sauces to cool to room temperature before assembling your casserole. Tightly cover the dish with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Once ready to bake, heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Uncover the lasagna and allow it to sit on the counter while the oven pre-heats. Once the oven is hot, place the dish with the lasagna on a baking sheet on the middle rack and bake for 45-60 minutes, until piping hot and bubbly all the way through. How do I serve Lasagna without it collapsing? – Follow the layering process exactly to ensure your Lasagna layers will cling together.– Make sure to allow the Lasagna to rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.
– Slice the Lasagna with a knife, not with a wooden spoon or spatula (use a blunt knife/butter knife! otherwise you’ll scratch your pan).
– Slide a thin offset spatula below the Lasagna slice to fully release it from the pan before lifting it out with our largest offset wooden/silicone spoon or spatula you own.
– Carefully place the slice on the wooden spoon on the plate at a slight angle (make sure the spoon rests on the plate). Use a knife or thin offset spatula to slowly slide the Lasagna off the spoon and onto the plate. These detailed steps are making me sound completely insane, but that’s the exact process I go through to serve neat slices. So… Feel free to laugh at me, but this works 😉
Patty says
I’m not a wine drinker, but I do know that if it’s not a wine you’d enjoy drinking it’s not good enough to cook with. What red wine do you use or recommend?
Nora says
Patty, I just realized I only put this in the bolognese sauce recipe, but I’m going to paste it here again:
Red wine: A Chianti is by many considered the best wine to make a Bolognese sauce (unless you swear by white wine in Bolognese – I like it both ways, but a little more with red; I guess because it’s what I grew up with. I know the original-original recipe calls for white wine. This is obviously not the original-original recipe.). But a Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot also works great, although you probably wouldn’t find something with a French name in Nonna’s Bolognese.
Hope this helps!
marie patriacca says
Absolutely wonderful ❤️ Being Italian I make lasagna but never with the bechamel sauce everyone loved this version. I did leave out the ricotta and this Italian girl does not add sugar (a big splash of fruity white wine works for me). I have been reading and loving your recipes for quite some time now. But I especially wanted to thank you for taking the time to meticulously write this recipe with easy to follow step by step instructions with the end results so very delicious 🍷❤️🍷
Nora says
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment, Marie! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe.