Looking to make one of the most iconic dishes entirely from scratch? Immerse yourself in this step-by-step guide to making authentic Italian lasagna and you’ll become an expert in no time.
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When I attended culinary school in Italy, we learned all about how to make dozens of different types of pasta (from aglio e olio to pasta with 'nduja). Nothing made quite the same impression that lasagna did. Layer by layer I learned the proper way to make Italian lasagna with bolognese and now I’m sharing it with you.
Italian lasagna originates from the Emilia Romagna region of Italy which is known for some of Italy’s most iconic foods. Whether it’s Parmigiano Reggiano, balsamic vinegar, mortadella, or tagliatelle pasta, this region has something for everyone.
Some key factors that make this recipe authentic include the homemade pasta sheets, bolognese made with pork and red wine, and a creamy béchamel sauce. All of these delicious layers of rich Italian flavor are finished with a grating of fresh parmesan cheese.
The process for making this Italian recipe for lasagna can be broken into 4 easy-to-manage sections. Follow along to learn how to make the best lasagna from Italy you'll ever create.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- The three key components to authentic Italian lasagna.
- How to get a nice bubbly and cheesy top to your lasagna.
- How to easily replace fresh pasta with dry pasta.
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Ingredients & Substitutions
Bolognese Ragu: Another iconic dish from Emilia Romagna, authentic Italian bolognese uses ground pork, red wine, carrots, onions, and lots of tomatoes. This delicious sauce takes a couple of hours to make, so I often make the sauce a day before I plan to eat lasagna. Making this lasagna with homemade sauce really takes the flavors to the next level.
Béchamel: Béchamel is a thick and creamy sauce made with butter, flour, milk, and some seasonings. Making this lasagna with béchamel provides that creaminess that cuts through the rich bolognese sauce.
Lasagna sheets: Lasagna sheets are an egg-based pasta that is super quick to make and the easiest pasta to shape (no fancy shapes required). You can also substitute fresh pasta for dried.
Parmesan cheese: I always suggest buying a block of Parmesan and grating it yourself. Parmigiano Reggiano is probably the most famous product to come out of Emilia Romagna, so it is the cheese of choice for this authentic lasagna recipe.
Find the full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions in the recipe card below.
How To Make This Recipe
1. Begin by heating your oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
2. To build the lasagna, grab two 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) baking dishes. Add ½ a cup of béchamel to each dish.
3. Next, add a layer of homemade lasagna sheets. Trim the lasagna sheets as needed with a kitchen knife or kitchen scissors. Save the excess pasta sheets (we'll use those too).
4. Next, spread a heaping ½ cup of the bolognese sauce over the pasta sheets on each baking dish.
Cover the sauce with a heaping ½ cup of béchamel. Top the béchamel with about ¼ cup of parmesan cheese.
Repeat this layering process 2 more times, beginning with pasta sheets and ending with parmesan.
5. The end result should have 3 total layers. For the top layer, use an extra ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Make sure all the pasta sheets are covered with the bolognese sauce and béchamel. Covering the pasta with the sauces will ensure that they fully cook.
6. Cover the baking dishes with aluminum foil. Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the foil and allow the pasta to bake for another 15 - 20 minutes or until the cheese is nicely browned and bubbly.
7. Always allow the lasagna to sit for at least 15 minutes before serving. This rest period will prevent people from burning their mouths on the food, and it will help all the layers become a bit more structurally sound.
Expert Tips
- Make the entire lasagna up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake it in the oven.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
- Lasagna is a dish that's best made in two days. Dividing the workload will result in a much shorter kitchen experience the day you plan to serve the lasagna.
- Store leftover bolognese in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, I have been using this technique for years now. I never boil my lasagna sheets anymore. As long as you ensure the pasta is covered by the bolognese ragu and béchamel cheese sauce, the pasta will cook perfectly in the oven. No need for all the fuss of boiling water and cooking the pasta sheets ahead of time.
Some of the biggest struggles with the béchamel sauce are typically textural problems. Be sure to constantly whisk your sauce and let the sauce cook for as long as suggested.
Bolognese ragu is a slow and steady process. Be sure to allow for a full 50% reduction on the sauce before using it.
While this would not be traditional Italian lasagna, yes it will still work and taste delicious. Be sure to use a low moisture mozzarella to ensure a nice melty cheese and avoid any soupiness.
If you prefer to save time by using dried lasagna sheets, you can. There is no need to partially cook the pasta beforehand.
More Italian Inspired Recipes
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Authentic Italian Lasagna
Ingredients
For Bolognese Ragu
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup finely diced carrots
- ½ cup finely diced red onion
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 ¼ cups full bodied dry red wine (like Shiraz)
- 84 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes
- black pepper to taste
- Morton kosher salt to taste
For Pasta Sheets
- 3 ¼ cups 00' soft wheat flour
- 4.2 ounces whole eggs (2 - 3 large eggs)
- 3.2 ounces egg yolks (6 - 7 yolks)
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- semolina flour for dusting
For Béchamel Sauce
- 6 cups whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For Lasagna Assembly
- 2 ½ cups finely shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
For Bolognese Ragu
- Add butter to a heavy bottom saucepan and melt over medium heat. Once butter is melted, add carrots and onion, and cook until softened. Remove cooked carrots and onions from the saucepan and set aside.
- To the same saucepan, add ground pork, and cook on medium high heat breaking up the pork into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until browned on all sides.
- Pour the cooked carrots, onions, and wine into the saucepan with the cooked pork. Cook the wine until no liquid remains. As the wine reduces (cooks), scrape off any browned pieces of food on the bottom of the pan (this adds extra flavor to the sauce).
- Crush the canned tomatoes with your hands directly into the saucepan. Add in any leftover tomato juice still in the can to the saucepan. Turn heat to medium low. Simmer partially covered until reduced by 50%. Stir occasionally to ensure the bottom doesn't burn. If you notice the sauce bubbling too intensely, turn down the heat slightly.
- Once cooked down, taste and season with black pepper and Morton kosher salt to taste.
For Pasta Sheets
- Add 00' flour, whole eggs, egg yolks, and fine sea salt to a mixing bowl. Using clean hands, mix the ingredients together just until a shaggy dough forms.
- Pour the shaggy dough onto a clean work surface and gently knead/pat the excess flour together to form one solid dough.
- Shape the pasta dough into a square. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow to rest until you touch the dough and it has slightly softened, about 35 - 45 minutes.
- Cut the dough into 12 equally sized pieces. Use your hands or a rolling pin to slightly flatten the pasta dough so it can fit into the widest setting of the pasta machine. Dust each side of the pasta with semolina to ensure it doesn’t stick.
- Pass the pasta dough through the widest setting on the pasta machine. Fold each side of the pasta to the middle, then pass the pasta dough through the widest setting again.
- Reduce the pasta machine width setting by one, then continue to pass the pasta through the machine. Continue flattening the pasta, reducing the setting by one, until it reaches a thick medium setting, about 1 mm thick (for me setting 4). You can add additional semolina flour throughout this process if the dough starts to get sticky.
- You should be left with 12 long pieces of pasta (about 12 inches or 30 cm long by 3 inches or 8 cm wide). Layer pasta sheets in between semolina flour, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.
For Béchamel Sauce
- Cook milk in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium heat stirring occasionally until steaming, about 6 - 7 minutes. Whisk in nutmeg.
- In a separate pot, melt butter over low heat. Once completely melted, whisk in flour and cook while whisking for 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium and gradually ladle in the hot milk while whisking constantly to prevent lumps.
- Continue to cook until the bechamel thickens and no lumps remain. Season with salt and pepper.
For Lasagna Assembly
- Heat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Spread ½ cup béchamel in the bottom of two 9” x 9” (23 x 23 cm) baking dishes. Top with a layer of pasta sheets. You can trim the pasta sheets with kitchen scissors or a chef’s knife so they fit the length and width of the baking dishes. Spread a little over ½ cup of the bolognese sauce over the pasta sheets on each baking dish, then a little over ½ cup of the béchamel sauce, and top with ¼ cup of parmesan cheese. Repeat the process 2 more times, starting with the pasta sheets and ending with parmesan, for a total of 3 layers. For the top layer of cheese use ½ cup of parmesan. Make sure all of the pasta is covered with the bolognese sauce and béchamel so the pasta fully cooks.
- Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and allow to cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes until bubbling and browned on top. Let lasagna sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Natalie
Obsessed with this recipe! Such amazing flavor!! I loved making this completely from scratch. It was a great weekend cooking project.