Lasagna Bolognese
This Lasagna Bolognese features layers upon layers of delicious flavor…it’s one heck of a delicious comfort food recipe!
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I’m all about putting a fun spin on things – it keeps life interesting! Take this Braided Reuben Bread for instance – it’s part-homemade bread and part-Reuben sandwich. It’s 100% delicious! Or take this Cheeseburger Soup – I love all things cheeseburgers, so this soup was a fun riff on a classic. Or S’mores Brownies – those things are delicious!
However, did you realize that some of the most popular things in life were actually spin offs of other things? You might be aware that modern chewing gum was invented in the 1860’s by Mexican general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Except he was using it as rubber – not chewing gum. Or take bubble wrap for instance. It was invented in 1957 and first marketed as – wait for it – wallpaper. I mean I love popping bubble wrap as much as the next guy, but can you imagine your walls covered in bubble wrap!?
Lasagna Bolognese
Lasagna BologneseSwitching back to the food, this Lasagna Bolognese is something of a fun spin off, too. I love a good lasagna – I mean one of my favorite cartoon characters as a kid was Garfield. I was destined to love lasagna! (My sister even gave me a Garfield cookbook for Christmas one year.) I also love all things pasta, and a good Bolognese sauce is tough to beat. Sure, Bolognese sauces take a bit of time due to the layers of flavor that get added…but, man, that time is well worth it!
This Lasagna Bolognese is a fun combination of two of my favorites. You’ve got layers of cooked lasagna noodles filled with spoonfuls of that delicious Bolognese sauce. However, unlike many lasagnas, this one isn’t packed with ricotta cheese and mozzarella. Don’t get me wrong – I love that classic American style lasagna! I just went a slightly different direction here. The only cheese in this recipe is grated Parmesan Reggiano.
I know you might be tempted to add mozzarella and/or ricotta to this Lasagna Bolognese. But here’s the thing – this lasagna is still incredibly creamy and delicious even without those cheeses! What’s the secret? There’s a Béchamel sauce that gets spread in between each of the layers, too. Don’t get intimidated by the name Béchamel, though. It’s an incredibly easy white sauce that only takes about 5-7 minutes to make. And the creamy factor from that Béchamel? Through the roof!!
This Lasagna Bolognese does take a bit of time to prepare. It’s probably not the best choice for a busy weeknight since there are several different components here – the cooked lasagna noodles, the Bolognese sauce and the Béchamel sauce. Then you have to layer all of those together and bake it up for a bit. Nope, this recipe is best meant for a Friday or Saturday night at home. Open a good bottle of wine – you’ll need a bit of red wine for that Bolognese sauce anyways – and pour yourself a glass. Put on some good music and enjoy the cooking process. I promise your efforts will be rewarded by the time you cut into this lasagna!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did. It was delicious on Day 1, and both Laura and I agreed that it was even better as leftovers on Day 2. Cheers!
Did you make this Lasagna Bolognese at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version of this tasty recipe!
Lasagna Bolognese
Ingredients
For the Bolognese Sauce
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 large carrots diced
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 oz. pancetta diced
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 8 oz. ground pork
- 8 oz. ground beef
- ½ tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1 28-oz. can peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano style
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- pinch ground nutmeg
For the Béchamel Sauce
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the Lasagna
- 15 sheets lasagna noodles see note
- 1¾ cups grated Parmesan cheese
- freshly chopped parsley for finishing
Instructions
For the Bolognese Sauce
- Using a Dutch oven or large soup pot, add olive oil and place over medium heat. Once hot, add carrots, celery, onion and pancetta; stir until well combined.
- Sauté for 10-12 minutes, stirring often, or until onions soften and begin to turn golden brown.
- Add garlic, stir and continue cooking for 1-2 more minutes.
- Add pork and beef; stir until well combined, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Cook for 13-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until meats are fully cooked.
- Add dried basil, dried oregano and tomato paste; stir until well combined. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking 4-5 more minutes.
- Add wine, stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until wine evaporates.
- Using a large bowl, add peeled tomatoes and crush tomatoes with your hand. Add crushed tomatoes to pan along with stock, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir until well combined and bring mixture to a simmer.
- Once simmering, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 30-40 minutes.
For the Béchamel Sauce
- Using a medium saucepan, add milk and place over medium heat until small bubbles appear around edges of pan.
- Using a separate medium saucepan, add butter and place over medium-low heat.
- Once butter has melted, add flour and stir until well combined. Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove saucepan with butter from heat and slowly pour hot milk in, whisking constantly while you pour. Add salt and pepper; stir until well combined.
- Place saucepan back over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes, or until sauce is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
For the Lasagna
- Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spray a 9”x13” baking dish with nonstick baking spray.
- Put a layer of pasta down first. Next, spread ¼ of the Bolognese Sauce and ¼ of the Béchamel Sauce evenly on top. Sprinkle top with ¼ cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Repeat process 3 more times. Finish by laying last layer of noodles on top and sprinkling remaining ¾ cup of Parmesan cheese on top of noodles.
- Tent top of pan with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until lasagna is heated through.
- Let lasagna rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Looking for more tasty pasta recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Will be making this soon can i use mushrooms and vegan beef and vegetable stock for the bolognese sauce and can i use almond milk and vegan butter for bechamel sauce and can i use vegan parmesan for the lasagna as am a vegan i never had lasagna before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
I think you could absolutely use vegan options here, Ramya – I like the idea of mushrooms in a lasagna! If you’ve never had lasagna before, then you absolutely need to put this on your list of things to make soon. Enjoy!!
Sorry David – I was not capable of paying attention to the blog post. As soon as I saw the first photo of this lasagna, I was mesmerized! It does look beautiful and elegant (My lasagna sometimes looks a bit messy…which is fine because it’s comfort food, right?) Needless to say the flavours and textures here are great; loving the use of 3 different types of meat. I want to reach through the screen and steal the entire dish (If you don’t mind of course) 🙂
You make a great point, Ben – comfort food is almost always messy. Funny how that works, right? This really is a good lasagna, and it’s perfect for these early fall days when it gets chilly in the evening. Oh, and you are welcome to steal a slice or two…just leave me some, ok? 🙂
I agree putting a spin on everything makes it exciting, if people dont do this then we dont have cronuts, cookie shots or donut burgers. I love your spin on that lasagna and you had inspired me to do something similar, that is why our dinner tonight is lasagna carbonara!
That’s true, Raymund! Look how crazy the world went over cronuts. I wonder if there’s still a line outside of Ansel’s bakery down in NYC? Lasagna carbonara!? I need to learn about this recipe – that sounds like an amazing comfort food recipe right there!
Amazing!!! I could eat just eh bolognese all day long! And then you added it to a lasagna…one of my favorite foods! I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this lasagna. 🙂
I agree with you 100%, Kathy! I love pasta in all forms, but lasagna layered with Bolognese sauce? Yes, please!!
Lasagna Bolognese is one of our favorite comfort foods, David! Your version is a must try!!
I hear ya, Marissa – I’m all about the comfort food as we roll into these chilly fall days!
We should both make up lotto numbers, and send them to one another. One day, we’ll send each other the same numbers, and then we’ll know we need to play. I love a bechamel lasagna! And I agree: you don’t need a lot of cheese with it. This looks stellar, David!
Hahaha – I like that idea, Jeff. But then that would mean we would both win the lottery and have to split the winnings, right? Oh fine – I guess I could share with you. Haha! 🙂 Seriously, though, it’s lasagna season with the chilly evenings that have been rolling into our area lately!
Lynne loves anything with lots of delicious meaty Italian flavours, particularly Lasagne. I always enjoy making a good lasagne too. Particularly because I feel it has to be accompanied with a glass of wine! This is lovely David, I can see me making this as a Saturday night dinner!
Haha – I totally agree with you, Neil! Any meal that comes with a glass of wine definitely gets ranked up a notch or two here, too! This lasagna is a bit different than the traditional kind, but I’m telling ya – it’s delicious!
I love many different types of lasagna but my favorite is one made with a Béchamel sauce. It is so much lighter. That is what I like serving as part of an Italian holiday dinner with multiple courses. Yours looks delicious.
I’m with ya, Karen – the Béchamel sauce in this lasagna is what takes it from good to great! This would indeed be good during the holidays. In fact, I might need to plan for that this year!