Homemade lasagne. A Step-by-Step Guide

I can't think of homemade lasagne without recalling my mother, my children's granny, known as nonna Teresa, and the great effort she put into making it nearly every Sunday. Back then, the lasagna pasta sheets needed to be boiled first and laid out to dry on a clean tablecloth, each one perfectly placed horizontally, taking up the entire table. Nonna Teresa was kept busy dipping and draining the pasta sheets from the large pot of boiling water and, at the right moment, carefully layering them into the baking dish with all the other ingredients: sauces, cheeses, herbs, and so forth. Today, we're fortunate that dry lasagne pasta sheets can go directly into the baking dish without needing to be boiled. If you wanted, you could make fresh pasta sheets, which would change everything. For now, we continue with this simple yet labour-intensive recipe, and mothers like me will keep providing this delicious lasagne at school fair events for the benefit and well-being of the schools.

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Lasagne aka baked pasta

Good to know

There are 2 main sauces for making lasagne alla bolognese, which both require time and attention to detail: besciamella and ragù.

Remember that the better the ingredients you can find in the market, the better results you will get.

Ingredients serves 8

For the ragù sauce, follow the recipe Spaghetti with ragù.

You will need to prepare for serving 8, therefore double the amount of the ingredients in the recipe.

Besciamella sauce for 8 Servings

1. Butter, 100 g

2. Plain flour, 100 g

3. Milk, 1 l

4. Nutmeg (optional), grated, 0.5 tsp

5. Salt and pepper

Other ingredients

1. Pasta for lasagne, fresh or dry, 20-24 Sheets

2. Parmesan, grated, 200 g

3. Mozzarella, cut in cubes 1 cm, 200 g

Let's jump to the method

1. First, prepare the Ragù sauce for this homemade lasagne for 8 servings and set it aside (as described in the recipe for Spaghetti or Tagliatelle al Ragù).

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1. While the ragù is cooking, begin making the Besciamella sauce. In a medium-sized pan, melt 100g of butter. Once melted, reduce the heat, add a small portion of the 100g of flour, and whisk. Gradually add the remaining flour, stirring continuously until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture is smooth without lumps. Then, slowly add the milk while stirring continuously until fully combined. Add the grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

2. Cook it on very low heat, stirring frequently. In approximately 15-20 minutes, the sauce will be ready. It should be creamy and free of lumps.

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1. With the sauces prepared, let's begin assembling the lasagne. Arrange all ingredients near your workspace in the order of use to streamline the process: pasta sheets, besciamella, ragù, parmesan, mozzarella, salt, pepper.

2. Preheat the oven to 180º C.

3. In a lasagne baking dish (approximately 28 cm x 18 cm), spread a layer of besciamella on the bottom.

4. Lay the pasta sheets to cover the dish completely. If using dried pasta, break it to fit perfectly in the dish.

5. Spread enough besciamella over the pasta to cover it entirely.

6. Pour 2 ladles of ragù over the besciamella and distribute it evenly.

7. Sprinkle with parmesan and scatter some mozzarella cubes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

8. Repeat from step 4 until all ingredients are used. Ensure the ingredients are spread evenly across all layers. You should be able to create approximately 4-6 layers.

9. End with a layer of besciamella, sprinkle parmesan on top, and add a few knobs of butter.

10. Bake in the center of the oven at 180°C for about 30-40 minutes until a golden crust forms.

11. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

12. Serve and enjoy! Buon Appetito!

Homemade lasagne