Authentic Italian Lasagna Bolognese Recipe

Walking into my grandmother’s kitchen on a Sunday morning meant one thing: the intoxicating aroma of a proper ragù simmering away for hours. She’d start before dawn, treating the sauce like a delicate dance of ingredients that needed time to get to know each other.

This isn’t your quick weeknight lasagna. It’s the real deal – the kind that requires patience and a genuine love for the process. The difference between a rushed bolognese and one that’s been lovingly coaxed to perfection over several hours is like night and day.

The secret lies in the layering – not just of pasta and sauce, but of time and technique. Each component builds on the last, creating something that’s so much more than the sum of its parts.

What You’ll Need

For the Bolognese Sauce:

• 300g ground beef
• 150g pancetta
• 300g passata
• 1 small carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 small onion
• 100ml dry white wine
• 100ml milk
• 300ml meat broth
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste

For the Lasagna:

• 14 lasagna sheets
• 200g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

For the Béchamel Sauce:

• 1 liter whole milk
• 100g unsalted butter
• 100g flour
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• Fresh nutmeg

Steps

1. Start with the bolognese by cooking the minced pancetta in a saucepan over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until it releases its fat.
2. Add the olive oil and finely chopped vegetables (carrot, celery, onion). Cook for 5 minutes, stirring until vegetables soften.
3. Incorporate the ground beef, cooking for 5 minutes over medium heat until it browns evenly.
4. Increase heat to high, add white wine, and let it evaporate completely while stirring.
5. Add passata, cover, and simmer on low for 2 hours. Add broth as needed to maintain moisture. Finish with milk and season.
6. For the béchamel, melt butter over low heat, add sifted flour while whisking constantly. Let cool slightly.
7. Heat milk separately (don’t boil), then slowly pour into butter-flour mixture, whisking vigorously to prevent lumps.
8. Return to low heat, stirring constantly until thickened (10-15 minutes). Season with salt and nutmeg.
9. Layer in this order: thin layer of béchamel, pasta sheets, bolognese, béchamel, Parmigiano. Repeat 5 times.
10. Top with extra Parmigiano and bake at 190°C (380°F) for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Substitutions That Actually Work

• Replace pancetta with finely chopped bacon (same amount) – it adds similar richness
• Use ground veal instead of beef for a lighter flavor while maintaining texture
• Substitute fresh pasta sheets with no-boil lasagna noodles, but soak them in hot water for 5 minutes first

Making It Diabetes-Friendly

• Use whole wheat lasagna sheets to lower the glycemic index
• Replace half the ground beef with finely chopped mushrooms
• Reduce Parmigiano to 100g and increase the protein content with 50g of ricotta per layer
• Use unsweetened almond milk in the béchamel, increasing the flour to 120g for proper thickness

Tips & Storage

• Make the bolognese a day ahead – it actually tastes better
• Let lasagna rest for 15-20 minutes before cutting for cleaner slices
• Stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container
• Freeze individual portions for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in fridge
• When reheating, cover with foil and warm at 160°C (320°F) for 20 minutes