Bechamel Sauce:
4 c. (1 litre) milk, at room temp
5 tablespoons Plain Flour
4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1/2 small Nutmeg, grated
3.5 ounces (100 grams) Parmesan, grated (save some to top)
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Lasagne:
12 ounces (350 grams) Fresh Lasagne Sheets
2 c. (200 grams) Mozzarella, shredded
HOW TO MAKE SIMPLY THE BEST HOMEMADE LASAGNE
Ragu:
Step 1: Into a large pot, drizzle around a tbsp olive oil. Heat over medium heat, then adds in the beef. Cook the beef until completely brown, breaking the meat up using a wooden spoon as it cooks, and season with salt and pepper. Into the lasagne dish, transfer the beef, and discard the excess grease.
Step 2: To the same pot, fry the Pancetta until starting to brown and releases the fat. Add in the onion, celery, and carrot. Continue to fry until soft and starting to brown. Then, in the last minute of cooking, add the garlic followed by the tomato puree or tomato paste.
Step 3: For a couple of minutes, cook the tomato puree. Pour in the wine and deglaze the pot, letting the wine reduce for a couple of minutes. Return the beef to the pot and stir to coat.
Step 4: Add in the beef stock, tomato passata, parsley, basil, oregano, bay leaves, 1 tsp sugar, and salt & pepper to taste. Adjust the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for about an hour and thirty minutes while occasionally stirring. Remove the cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes more to reduce the sauce.
Bechamel Sauce:
Step 5: In the meantime, in a suitably sized pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour until paste forms.
Step 6: Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continuously to remove any lumps. Let the sauce simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes until thick enough before adding in the nutmeg, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Stir well and adjust the seasoning according to taste. Then, remove from the heat.
Lasagne:
Step 7: Prepare the oven. Preheat it to 356 degrees F or 180 degrees C.
Step 8: Spread a couple of spoons of Ragu in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Assemble by layering the pasta sheets, Ragu, Bechamel Sauce, then Mozzarella. Next would be the pasta sheets, Bechamel, mozzarella, and Parmesan to top.
Step 9: Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes until deep golden. Remove from the oven when done and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.
Step 10: Garnish with basil and parsley before serving. Enjoy!
Notes:
If you don’t have pancetta substitute it with finely diced bacon.
I suggest starting with 1 tsp sugar, do a taste test after simmering and reduced, then adjust accordingly.
Consistency is very important. If you still see a layer of water on top after simmering the ragu, then it still needs more reduction. As for the Bechamel sauce, you should be able to coat the back of a wooden spoon with it.
I highly recommend using a 9 x 13-inch baking dish to fit the four layers perfectly. Or you can use a smaller but deeper baking dish.
For this recipe, I always use fresh lasagne sheets. But if using dried, I suggest not dry up the ragu too much as the sheet will soak up more liquid compare to the fresh sheet.
The perfect beef to use in my opinion is the ones with only 10 to 12% fat. This gives a little fatty flavour. But if you only have say 20% make sure to drain most of the grease after it is cooked as the ragu goes oily.
Make sure to use a heavy top lid to ensure that the steam does not escape or the mixture will reduce rather quickly.
You can make this dish ahead just ensure to cool down the ragu and bechamel sauce before you assemble. After done assembling, cover the dish, and place it in the fridge for 24 hours. When ready to bake, add about 5 to 10 minutes to the cooking time or let it come to room temperature first before baking. Feel free to store it in the freezer, too. Simply thaw overnight before baking and proceed as instructed.
For the leftovers, place them in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days or store them in the freezer, To reheat, pop in the oven until the centre is piping hot. If frozen, make sure to thaw in the fridge first overnight.
Nutrition Facts:
Amount Per Serving: Calories 646 | Calories from Fat 312 | Fat 34.64g 53% | Saturated Fat 14.027g 70% | Trans Fat 0.997g | Polyunsaturated Fat 1.536g | Monounsaturated Fat 10.821g | Cholesterol 143mg 48% | Sodium 876mg 37% | Potassium 1162mg 33% | Carbohydrates 33.29g 11% | Fiber 3.3g 13% | Sugar 12.46g 14% | Protein 44.6g 89% | Vitamin A 7500IU 150% | Vitamin C 10.7mg 13% | Calcium 430mg 43% | Iron 5.2mg 29%
