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)
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 here
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples here
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking here
Allie
My friends and I are having an Italian Styled Christmas Dinner, so I’m excited to try this recipe. Did you use a particular Red Wine for your recipe?
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Allie, I always use an Italian red wine such as Chianti, Montalcino or Primitivo (nothing too expensive) but really any red that you're going to drink will do! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Erin
I am very excited to make this for Christmas!
Can I make everything and assemble the lasagne ahead of time and refrigerate for 24-48 hours before baking?
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Erin, yes, you can prepare the whole lasagne in advance so it's ready just to be baked. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!
Julianne
Going to be making this today but what surprises me is there is no garlic!!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Julianne, traditional recipes don't include any garlic but it can always be added in if you prefer! Hope you enjoy it.
Mir
This lasagna looks delicious. I would love to make it for holidays, but I am quite a begginer so I think I should try with dried (no-boil) )lasagna sheets. Should I adjust baking time?
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Mir, usually you can find fresh lasagna sheets in the refrigerated section of the supermarket so there's no need to make them from scratch but if not dried no-boil sheets will work too. You might need to add 10-15 minutes to the cooking time but you can check it by inserting a sharp knife into the lasagne to see if they feel cooked through or not.
Matt
Finally found the lasagne recipe I was looking for. The ragu is well worth the time it takes to prepare. Turned out so good!
Inside the rustic kitchen
I'm so happy you enjoyed it. It definitely takes a while to put the lasagne together but it's so worth it!
Marilyn Bown
This has to be the best tasting lasagne I've ever made, absolutely gorgeous 😋😋. I had a bit of an issue with sloppiness when dishing up, but that just means I need to keep trying till I get it right - what a chore 😂🤩 Thanks so much.
Jen
This has become our go-to lasagna recipe. Family favorite! The ragu alone has become our go to pasta sauce, keeping batches in the freezer for busy nights.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Aw I'm so happy to hear that, you can't beat homemade ragu!
Clora
Best lasagne I have ever had, thanks so much, slightly changed only by adding chopped mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce, dried basil, parsley and oregano....the flavour after cooking for so many hours is amazing xxx
Inside the rustic kitchen
Sounds delicious, I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
Mindy Clark
Story to get to the point lol..
The Golden Girls is my ALL TIME favorite show. There is an episode where Sophia had to bribe Dorothy to pretend to still be married to Stan. She buttered her by making "Lasagne al Forno.' For YEARS I have been wanting to try it, but all the recipes looked SUPER hard... Then I found this one! I made it tonight and there is NOTHING left! My niece & two nephews had almost three helpings EACH! They already asked me to make it again next week!!! Thanks for posting it!! We LOVE it!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Omg, I LOVE this story thanks so much for sharing it, I'm so happy you all enjoyed it!
K baker
Lol! I am watching that episode as I write this-it’s what inspired me to find a recipe! Can’t wait to try it.
Lynnetta
I had to lol at your comment!!!! The reason I went looking for this recipe , I just watched that episode of Golden Girls the other day!!!!!
Today will be my attempt.... the comments give me hope I’ll be successful !!! ☺️
Tara Drope
That is exactly the reason that I looked for this recipe also...lol....too funny
Brandy
That's hilarious. I watched the same episode last night and that's why I'm making this recipe instead of beef and vegetable soup! My house smells so good right now!
Mark
I made it and followed the recipe exactly. Was the most delicious lasagne . Thank you
Inside the rustic kitchen
So happy you enjoyed it it's one of my fav comfort foods!
Anna Connolly
What an amazing recipe, definitely a keeper, thanks so much! Can't wait to try your other recipes.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hi Anna, I'm so happy you enjoyed it it's one of my favourite comfort foods! 🙂
Colleen
This lasagna looks so divine. I just want to dig in right now. I love your spinach noodles, too.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
This is the perfect dish to feed a hungry crowd. I love spinach pasta, and it goes so well with this dish. YUM!!!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Definitely, thanks Gloria!
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine
This looks so delicious -- I love casseroles like this for December when there is always a crowd to feed! Perfectly comforting.
Inside the rustic kitchen
It's perfect for feeding a crowd, thanks Michelle!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
Yum!! This lasagna looks delicious!! Perfect comfort food for this weekend!
jacquee | i sugar coat it!
I am loving every single layer in this lasagne! Superb!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Jacquee, this is one of my favourites!
Helene
This looks scrumptious and delicious
My parents will love this dish alot
Beef is our favourite .. im anxiously waiting to try out this dish abd taste it.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thank you Helene, I hope you enjoy it!
Leslie
While I love veggie lasagna, nothing will ever come close to beating a good classic lasagna!
Inside the rustic kitchen
I totally agree it's hard to beat!
Kristen Chidsey
Emily--I LOVE this spinach pasta. It is a great way to add spinach to the dish without huge clumps. Seriously craving this!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks so much Kristen!
Jill
I love all the step by step photos you've included with this recipe. The lasagna is making my mouth water. Love that the noodles are so green!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks Jill.
Mikaela
I've just started making pasta from scratch. Spinach pasta is next on my list. The lasagna looks divine!
Inside the rustic kitchen
I love making homemade pasta, it's so worth it. Thanks so much Mikaela!