A classic recipe for homemade Lasagne al Forno (Italian Beef Lasagna) made entirely from scratch. There's truly nothing more comforting than a hot bubbling baked lasagna made with homemade beef ragu, bechamel sauce, silky pasta and topped with melted mozzarella cheese! This traditional Italian recipe will be a comfort food favourite.
Lasagne al Forno is the perfect meal for Sunday dinner, the rich beef ragu can simmer away while you prepare the bechamel sauce and if you feel like going all out you can even make homemade pasta too.
It's truly special.
Is Lasagne Hard to Make?
So here's the thing, lasagne may seem daunting to make from scratch but it's not difficult! Here's a breakdown of the elements;
- Ragu or meat sauce - the beef ragu takes around 10-15 minutes to prep (cutting the veg, browning the meat etc) but once you've done that you leave it to simmer away for a few hours while you get on with your day, easy!
- Pasta - if you're making homemade pasta then the prep time is increased significantly which is fine if you're having a fun day of cooking but if you want as less prep as possible then use pre-bought fresh lasagna sheets/noodles. You can use dried but I recommend using fresh, see my notes below on why.
- Bechamel sauce - this lasagna is a traditional Italian version so it's made with bechamel sauce and NOT ricotta cheese. You'll see ricotta used in Italian-American recipes. Don't worry though making a bechamel sauce from scratch takes no more than 10 mins and it can be prepped in advance or just before you are ready to assemble the dish.
- Assembling the dish - this is the fun part and takes around 10 minutes (if that). Just layer up the pasta, ragu, bechamel and top with cheese, simple!
- Cooking the lasagne - it takes around 45 minutes to bake in the oven so you can see why from start to finish it takes a pretty long time but all that time is not spent in the kitchen. Once you've made this from scratch using all our tips you won't believe how simple it is!
Fun Fact - The Difference between Lasagna and Lasagne
For the proper foodies that are curious about the different spellings, it's actually very simple.
So in Italian, lasagna is one sheet of pasta or noodle and lasagne is more than one (plural).
Because this pasta dish is made with more than one lasagna noodle it's referred to as lasagne or Lasagne al Forno in Italian but the whole dish is often known as lasagna everywhere else in the world.
Whatever way you call it we are all talking about the same bubbling beautiful thing!
How to Make Lasagne al Forno - Step by Step
Il Soffritto
The ragu starts like a lot of Italian sauces, stews and soups, with Il Soffritto.
Il Soffritto is very simply, finely chopped carrot, celery and white onion sauteed slowly with a little olive oil for about 10 minutes until soft.
This adds incredible depth of flavour to many dishes and can even be made in advance to add into weeknight meals for an extra flavour punch.
Top Tip: Make a big batch and freeze it, you can cook it straight from frozen!
How to Make the Ragu
Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion and sweat slowly with a little olive oil in a large, deep skillet or pan (photo 1).
Once you've sauteed the veggies, add the meat and brown whilst breaking it up with a wooden spoon (photos 2).
Add the red wine and reduce by half. Once the wine has reduced, add the sieved tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, 4 cups of the beef stock and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything together and leave to simmer on a low heat for 2.5-3 hours uncovered. Add the rest of the beef stock half way through (photos 3-6).
How to Make Bechamel Sauce
Add the butter to a saucepan and cook until melted and bubbling (photo 7).
Add the flour to the melted butter and stir to form a paste. Let the flour cook for 1 minute (photo 8).
Slowly whisk half of the milk into the butter and flour constantly whisking to avoid any lumps. Once it has started to thicken add the rest of the milk, nutmeg, parmesan and a pinch of salt and pepper (photos 9-11).
Continue to heat the sauce whilst stirring until thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Take off the heat and set aside (photo 12).
How to Assemble the Lasagne
To assemble the lasagne, spoon a small amount of ragu on the very bottom of the baking dish. Top with and even layer of lasagna pasta sheets (photos 13 & 14).
Add a few more spoons of ragu so the pasta is completely covered followed by white sauce (photos 15-16).
Repeat the layers of pasta, ragu and bechamel sauce finishing with a layer of pasta topped with bechamel sauce (you should have 4-5 layers of pasta). Cover the top layer of the lasagne with torn mozzarella and then bake in the oven until bubbling and golden (photos 17 & 18).
Dried Vs Fresh Lasagna Sheets
When making lasagne I always use fresh lasagna sheets or make my own homemade pasta if I have time.
Fresh lasagna sheets have a much nicer texture than dried and it saves time having to pre-boil them.
I also find that dried lasagna sheets curl up as they cook so you don't get a nice defined layer.
Top Tips for Making Lasagne al Forno
- The ragu needs at least 3 hours to simmer and there's a reason for that, the flavour is incredible and you just won't get the same depth of flavour by turning the heat up or using any shortcuts.
- Don't cover the ragu as it's simmering or it won't concentrate in flavour enough. If you find the ragu has reduced and thickened too much add more water ½ cup (125ml) at a time.
- You can make the beef ragu a day or two in advance to cut the prep time down.
- I also recommend freezing beef ragu so you can thaw it overnight before making lasagne.
- I only use parmesan in the white sauce but to make it extra indulgent you can add a good strong melting cheese such as gruyere or fontina.
- If you want to make your own pasta then check out our Homemade Pasta Dough recipe.
- Does your lasagna collapse on your plate? that means you've not reduced the ragu enough. Check out the video and step by step photos for reference of how your ragu and bechamel sauce should look.
- If you want to use dried lasagna sheets then follow the packet instructions to see if you need to pre-boil them.
Other Lasagna Recipes You Might Like;
- Eggplant Lasagna with Prosciutto and Mozzarella
- Butternut Squash Lasagna – Sage, Prosciutto & Goats Cheese
- Lentil Ragu Lasagne
If you've tried this Classic Beef Lasagne or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I'm getting up to.
Lasagne al Forno (Italian Beef Lasagna)
Ingredients
Ragu
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup carrot finely chopped (1 large)
- 1 cup stalk celery finely chopped (1 large)
- 1 cup white onion finely chopped (1 large)
- 1 lb ground beef (mince) (500g)
- 1 lb ground pork (mince) (500g)
- 2.5 cups sieved tomatoes tomatoes (passata) (540g)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cups red wine (250ml)
- 6 cups beef stock (1.5 litres)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes and pepper
White Sauce
- 5 tbsp butter (70g)
- 5 tbsp flour all-purpose (70g)
- 4 cups full fat milk (1 litre)
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup parmesan freshly grated (70g)
- 1 tsp sea salt salt and pepper or to taste
Lasagne
- 1 lb fresh lasagna pasta sheets (17 oz/500g)
- 2 balls mozzarella (8 oz/250g)
Equipment
- 9x13 inch baking dish
Instructions
Ragu
- Finely chop the carrot, onion and celery and saute the vegetables gently in a large frying pan with the olive oil. Once the vegetables are soft add the beef and pork mince and cook until browned.
- If there is a lot of excess fat in the pan, spoon some out. Add the red wine and reduce by half.
- Once the wine has reduced, add the sieved tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, 4 cups of beef stock (1 litre) and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Stir everything together and leave to simmer on a low heat for 2.5-3 hours uncovered. Add the rest of the beef stock half way through.
White Sauce
- Add the butter to a saucepan and cook until melted and bubbling.
- Add the flour to the melted butter and stir to form a paste. Let the flour cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk half of the milk into the butter and flour constantly whisking to avoid any lumps. Once it has started to thicken add the rest of the milk, nutmeg, parmesan and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Continue to heat the sauce whilst stirring until thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Take off the heat and set aside.
Assemble the lasagne
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
- To assemble the lasagne, spoon a small amount of ragu on the very bottom of the baking dish. Top with and even layer of lasagna pasta sheets (cut the pasta sheets to fit your baking dish).
- Add a few more spoons of ragu so the pasta is completely covered followed by 2 ladels of white sauce.
- Repeat the layers of pasta, ragu and bechamel sauce until everything is used up making sure to keep enough of bechamel sauce for the very top layer (you should have 4-5 layers of pasta).
- Cover the top layer of the lasagne with torn mozzarella and then bake in the oven for 45minutes or until bubbling and golden.
- Let it cool slightly for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- The ragu needs at least 3 hours to simmer and there's a reason for that, the flavour is incredible and you just won't get the same depth of flavour by turning the heat up or using any shortcuts.
- Don't cover the ragu as it's simmering or it won't concentrate in flavour enough. If you find the ragu has reduced and thickened too much add more water ½ cup (125ml) at a time.
- You can make the beef ragu a day or two in advance to cut the prep time down.
- I also recommend freezing beef ragu so you can thaw it overnight before making lasagne.
- I only use parmesan in the white sauce but to make it extra indulgent you can add a good strong melting cheese such as gruyere or fontina.
- If you want to make your own pasta then check out our Homemade Pasta Dough recipe.
- Does your lasagna collapse on your plate? that means you've not reduced the ragu enough. Check out the video and step by step photos for reference of how your ragu and bechamel sauce should look.
- If you want to use dried lasagna sheets then follow the packet instructions to see if you need to pre-boil them.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use this brand for the best results and flavour
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Kritteh
AmAzInG, even with my minor deviances... Ragu simmered for about 5hrs (maybe my heat was too low?) before it had reduced to match your pictures, I added additional flour to the bechamel during cooking because I thought it needed to be thicker (totally didn't need to be, after all), and the red wine was a sweet red since that's what I had on-hand. Everything fit PERFECTLY in the 9x13 deep casserole dish (no bubbling over into a mess!), and tasted out of this world. THANK YOU for sharing!
Leisha
I can't wait to make this recipe, it looks so good! I'm having to prep the ragu 2 days in advance due to time. Should I heat the ragu prior to assembling the lasagna or put it straight in from the fridge? I am worried it will be a little stiffer when cold.
Thank you!
Emily
Hey Leisha, after being in the fridge it will be much stiffer and less saucy so I'd warm it up, maybe add a splash of water or stock just to help loosen it then assemble. It doesn't need to be piping hot. Hope you enjoy it!
Nadine
Can I make the sauce and taste similar without the wine? I have no red wine. Is it truly needed
Emily
Hi Nadine, it does add a lot of flavour but you can leave it out if you need to.
jess
hi there,
Classic/authentic ragu alla bolognese recipes call for much less stock. I consistently see various recipes with varying amounts of stock and tomato -- northern less tomato, southern more, etc. I am a perfectionistic guy who goes down the rabbit hole with anxiety-fuelled efficiency when I have conflicting information. I am a good, very slow cook. Could you please explain to me why you've chosen to add so much stock? Is it simply for the reduction, could I get away with using a demi-glace?
Also, I made a bolognese the other day the "classic" way and it seems to me to have a slightly bitter aftertaste even after adding a bit of sugar. I did not burn anything, I cooked it at an extremely low flame for closer to 5 hours in an enamelled dutch oven using pancetta, medium ground beef and homemade san marzano passata. Is a bitter end common?
Emily
Ciao Jess, this recipe is made with a traditional beef ragu which is different from Ragu alla Bolognese. This ragu uses more stock because it's simmered uncovered for hours so it reduces a lot. We also have a recipe for Ragu alla Bolognese which uses less stock because it's covered for a couple of hours as it simmers. The recipe is what the Bologna Chamber of Commerce classes as the true Bolognese recipe so it is 100% authentic, we also include a tonne of tips on making it. I'm not sure why your ragu had a bitter taste, I've never experienced that before let me know if you try out ours!
Jacqueline M
OUTSTANDING recipe that is well worth the time!!! I made this yesterday for a few friends and several said it was "the best lasagna they have had". I followed the recipe as written. It is definitely necessary to remove some of the excess fat after browning the meats and before adding the wine. I used a pinot noir. The sauce is delicious and flavorful. My husband made fresh semolina pasta which I think makes a difference. The only thing I would do next time is double the sauce so that I have leftovers for another dish. Well worth the three hours it took to reduce the sauce. I was skeptical about the amount of white sauce being sufficient but it was enough for four layers and the top. Based on your recommendation, I added gruyere cheese to the white sauce to make it creamier. Thanks Emily! This is now my go-to lasagna recipe.
Emily
Aw, thanks so much Jaqueline, you just made my day! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it.
Olivia
Hi
Scrolling through the comments but can’t seem to locate the one I’m after. It may be a sin to even suggest it- but do you know if this recipe would work with a plant based substitute mince?
Thanks 🙂
Emily
Hi Olivia, you should be able to replace it, I'm not sure about cooking times through so definitely check the packet instructions.
Kritteh
Will be making this with plant-based non-meat this weekend for some vegetarian friends, and will report back! :]
tara
hi! Can I pre bake it the night before or already assemble it? Or would that be less tasty? if so, for how long can I pre bake it? 🙂
Emily
I would assemble and store it in the fridge unbaked then pop it in a preheated oven when ready to eat.
Rasmus Samuelsson
Delicious lasagne. I wonder, do you have a calorie number per /100 g ?
You’ve written 753 calories but it doesn’t tell me much.
Emily
Hi, the nutritional information is per serving.
David
Best lasagne I’ve made! Thanks. Wife absolutely loved it.
Emily
So happy to hear that!
Kim
Do you freeze it before or after baking it?
Emily
Hi Kim, you can freeze it either way.
William
This is the best ragu we have ever tasted fantastico.
Steve Mclane
What size dish did you use, big thanks.
Emily
Hi Steve, I use a 13x9 inch baking dish.
Samantha
Hi, you mention a video but I can't see a link to it. I made the lasagne. I only used 1/2 litre of beef stock. It seemed plenty of liquid for the 3 hours simmering so not sure if I should have let it bubble more. It was very nice but I don't think I let the bechamel sauce thicken enough as it seemed quite runny. Thank you for the step by step instructions and photos
Emily
Hi Samantha, you can find the video in the recipe post. I think it definitely needed to be simmering at a higher heat to use more liquid, 1/2 litre for 3 hours isn't much at all unless you covered it? The trick to bechamel is to add the milk slowly and let it thicken in between. Happy you enjoyed it!