Classic Lasagna Bolognese Recipe (Video)
Published March 21, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious Classic Lasagna Bolognese Recipe is layered with homemade pasta, bechamel, and bolognese for an unforgettable meal. Consequently, If you’re looking to get a lasagna recipe straight from Italy, then this version is exactly that.
Firstly, I’m Sicilian so making and eating pasta in my house is commonplace. If you want to try out some new recipes, you must try Ravioli or Penne all Vodka.
Lasagna Bolognese
Lasagna bolognese is a classic Italian dish consisting of many layers of wide flat pasta, bechamel, bolognese sauce, and cheese. It’s then baked until golden brown and bubbly. This is the authentic way to make lasagna and how it’s done in Italy. I personally believe the more layers, the better.
Instead of using the easier assembled Ricotta cheese, a thickened milk-based bechamel sauce is traditionally used. In addition, the sauce would be more of a beef-based sauce and not a tomato-based sauce, as you would see in a spaghetti sauce.
The cheese that is sprinkled in between the layers and on top would be a variety of mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano, or sometimes Pecorino Romano. There are many variations on this recipe, but if you’re looking for the correct way to do it, then this is the one for you.
Ingredients
- Pasta – Homemade pasta is the best to use in this recipe.
- Bechamel – You will need to make bechamel sauce which is used in between the layers of this lasagna.
- Bolognese – I make a bolognese in this recipe using mirepoix, garlic, olive oil, pork, beef, and tomatoes.
- Cheese – I use a combination of whole milk mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
How to Make Lasagna Bolognese from Scratch
Process the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in a food processor until finely minced.
Pour 3 tablespoons of oil into a large pot over medium heat.
Add the minced vegetables and saute/sweat them for 4 to 6 minutes while frequently stirring.
Next, add in the ground pork and beef and cook until it is well browned and cooked throughout.
Deglaze with wine and then pour in the hand-crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and mix to combine. Simmer over low heat until it’s ready to be used.
In the meantime, make your pasta dough.
Once the dough is rolled out, cut each sheet into 9″ to 11″ long pieces. Set it to the side on a clean surface dusted with flour until it is ready to be boiled.
Make the bechamel sauce and keep it warm over low heat.
Boil about 6 to 7 pasta sheets at a time in a large pot of boiling salted water for 20 to 30 seconds.
Remove the pasta and set them on a clean kitchen towel separate from one another so that they are easy to grab.
Place a small amount of bechamel sauce to the bottom of a lasagna pan.
Next, do the same with the Bolognese sauce.
Add a layer of cooked pasta to completely cover both sauces.
Add on both of the sauces in the same manner and then sprinkle a 1/4 cup of mozzarella mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of parmesan.
Repeat the process until the pasta, sauces and cheeses have been used.
Save a good amount of the bechamel to pour over the top of everything at the end.
Add the remaining bolognese sauce over the top. Be sure there is plenty left to be able to do this. Finish by sprinkling on the remaining cheeses to cover every thing
Finally, bake at 400° for 35 to 40 minutes or until browned and crispy in the corners. Let the lasagna sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: Assemble the lasagna entirely and place it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before serving it. Place it in the oven directly from the refrigerator and bake at 400° for 55-60 minutes or until browned and cooked.
How to Reheat: Place the desired amount of lasagna into a small pan or in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and hot.
How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Place covered in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw this for 1 whole day in the refrigerator before reheating.
chef notes + tips
- The wine in this recipe and all of my recipes are optional. However, you can also use red wine if you’d like.
- You can also use store-bought lasagna pasta when making this recipe.
- The best thing about using homemade pasta is that the shape of it does not need to be perfect outside of it being long enough to fit in the pan.
More Pasta Recipes
- Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo
- Linguine White Clam Sauce
- Linguine and Prosciutto
- Pappardelle and Puttanesca
- Gnudi
Video
Classic Lasagna Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 peeled and roughly chopped yellow onion
- 4 peeled and roughly chopped carrots
- 4 roughly chopped stalks of celery
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds of ground pork
- 1 ½ pounds of ground beef
- 3/4 cup white wine (pinto Grigio, chardonnay, or sauvignon blanc)
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 recipes for bechamel
- 1 recipe for homemade pasta
- 10 ounces shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- coarse sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start making the Bolognese sauce by finely mincing using a chef's knife or processing the onions, celery, carrots, and garlic in a food processor.
- Pour 3 tablespoons of oil into a large rondeau pot (8 quarts) over medium heat.
- Add the minced vegetables and sauté/sweat them for 4 to 6 minutes while frequently stirring.
- Next, add in the ground pork and beef and cook until it is well browned and cooked throughout.
- Deglaze with the white wine and reduce the amount of liquid by one half. Pour in the hand-crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and mix to combine. Simmer over low heat until it's ready to be used.
- In the meantime, make your pasta dough. Once the dough is rolled out, cut each sheet into 9" to 11" long pieces to fit inside of the 13×9 casserole dish we will use. Set it to the side on a clean surface dusted with flour until it is ready to be boiled.
- Make the bechamel sauce and keep it warm over low heat.
- Boil about 6 to 7 pasta sheets at a time in a large pot of boiling salted water for 20 to 30 seconds.
- Remove the pasta and set them on a clean kitchen towel separate from one another so that they are easy to grab when assembling.
- Place a small amount of bechamel sauce to the bottom of a lasagna pan. Next do the same with the Bolognese sauce.
- Add a layer of cooked pasta to completely cover both sauces.
- Add on both of the sauces in the same manner and then sprinkle a 1/4 cup of mozzarella and 2 tablespoons of parmesan over the sauces.
- Repeat the process until the pasta, sauces and cheeses have been used.
- Save a good amount of the bechamel to pour over the top of everything at the end. Add the remaining bolognese sauce over the top. Be sure there is plenty left to be able to do this.
- Finish by sprinkling on the remaining cheeses to cover every thing and bake at 400° for 35 to 40 minutes or until browned and crispy in the corners.
- Let the lasagna sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Have wanted to make lasagna with bechamel for classic lasagna Bolognese. Chef Billy this is a masterpiece! Took it to a New Years day celebration. Rave reviews and almost completely gone! There were 11 people at the dinner and 2nds were had by many! Even the pickiest of eaters devoured this lasagna! Did make the Bolognese sauce the day before which blended the flavors making this sauce even more delectable. Used red wine instead of white and added extra 28 oz can of Italian tomatoe sauce the next day as it had gotten very thick. Also made in a 9×15″ pan so needed extra sauce. Used our own homemade noodles. Definitely worth the effort!
I’ve been wanting to make this dish for a while, and finally pulled the trigger last night. Excellent! Made Billy’s pasta recipe using semolina and 00 pizza flour, then rolled it out thin using my Kitchen Aid pasta roller attachment. What I liked about this recipe is that it isn’t heavily cheese dominant. The bechamel sauce ties it together nicely. Lots of flavor in the meat sauce; I used a mixture of ground beef and veal. I’m kind of obsessed with hand made pasta right now—so tender and soft, but with chew and flavor. Thank you Billy!
I grew up in a large Italian family and this recipe is better than my childhood memories of lasagna. It turned out perfectly and the steps were clear and easy to follow. A must have in your recipe list!
Thank you ChefBilly sooooo 😋 tasty
Oh my days tasty thank you ChefBilly 😋😁🤩👋
Thank you ChefBilly brilliant tasty
Hi! I made your great lasagna bolognese for Christmas Day. So delicious and worth all the effort. Certainly a labor of love.
In your video you made the pasta using all semolina flour but your link to the pasta recipe used two kinds of flours.
When we ran our pasta through our Atlas hand cranked machine, the pasta created holes and tears using #6. The Atlas I have does not have a 0 setting. We only used 3 and 4. I also had lots of pasta leftover after 7 layers using a 13X9 pan.
The bolognese and bechamel sauces were soo good. Love all your recipes and look forward to making new ones.
Absolutely delicious.
I have made many of your recipes they are all fabulous and easy to follow.
I have been forwarding them along to friends and family so they can take a peek at your website.
Thank you Chef
many thanks!
OMG Chef Billy, have never made homemade pasta well once i got it together i was pretty happy with myself. i have it in oven right now and the house smells amazing. thankyou soo very much for the tutorial, that truly was a godsent. i cannot wait to share this with my family and friends they will love it. Carmen
This recipe is worth the work! My super picky son devoured it and now tells everyone that his mom makes the best lasagna. Thanks Chef Billy for making this momma good at making something!
thank you so kindly!!