This lasagna recipe is one of the best I have ever concocted. My son Can has came up with the recipe himself, so therefore the applause should really go to him. He prepared the whole dish including the bolognese sauce and the ricotta mixture from scratch. I am sure he would have also prepared the lasagna sheets, however we didn’t want to waste the sheets we already had. He is 18, but he started cooking several years ago.
Italian cuisine is famous for its array of different dishes with delicious flavors, lasagna is no exception. If you’re wondering how to make a fantastic lasagna, you have come to the right place.
Making the lasagna takes time, however it is not a hard dish to make since most if the time you’re waiting for either the bolognese sauce to simmer or waiting for it to be ready to come out of the oven. Regardless, it will be worth your time.
I have a saying that infuriates my son which I tell him whenever he cooks something with a lot of ingredients ; “If you put all of the ingredients on me I would be delicious too”. I said it this time too.
Here are some frequently asked questions:
How many layers should a lasagna have?
This recipe needs 500 grams of lasagna sheets, which make roughly 30 sheets.
How do you layer a lasagna?
Please follow the steps listed in the recipe below. There is really no magic about it. Repeat until the material is finished. Save some bolognese sauce for the very top.
What temperature does lasagna need to be cooked to?
Bake lasagna in a preheated oven at top and bottom baking mode at 190° Celsius / 375° F. Lasagna will not be long in the oven, 15 minutes covered and 15 minute uncovered will be more or less enough.
Enjoy
Home-made Lasagna Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 grams lasagna sheets
- 100 grams parmesan cheese
- 350 grams mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
Bolognese Sauce
- 500 grams ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 onions
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 800 millilitres tomato puree
- 200 millilitres water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 5-6 stalks flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 carrot peeled and cubed
- 2 celery sticks thinly sliced
- 4 bay leaves
Ricotta Mixture
- 450 grams ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Bolognese Sauce
- Heat the olive oil in medium high heat in a large pot. Add the ground beef. Break down the beef and stir until it changes colour and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the carrot and the celery, and sautee until fragrant.
- Add the seasonings/herbs: salt, black pepper, thyme, dry mint, fresh rosemary, red pepper flakes and 3 stalks of parsley.
- Stir in tomato paste, and cook until the dry taste diminishes.
- Add the tomato puree and stir to combine.
- Also add bay leaves and 200 milliliters of water (more if the sauce is too thick). Discard the bay leaves before assembling the lasagna.
- Bring to boil and then reduce the heat and let simmer over low heat for about 2 hours if possible. Mix occasionally.
- Just before assembly add a tablespoon of butter.
Ricotta Mixture
- Meanwhile prepare the ricotta mixture.
- Chiffonade cut the basil.
- Mix ricotta cheese with 2 eggs (or 1 if large), basil, salt, black pepper, and the remaing parsley.
- Grate the parmesan cheese and slice the mozerrella cheese, and set aside in seperate bowls.
Assembling
- Prepare a skillet of boiling water for parboiling the lasagna sheets. Parboil the lasagna sheets until malleable (takes between 10 seconds to 2 minutes depending on the brand you're using), just before use.
- Pre-heat the oven to 190° Celsius.
- Spread a layer of bolognese sauce on the very bottom of the baking dish.
- Lay down a layer of lasagna sheets.
- On top spread a third of the ricotta mixture.
- Drizzle a layer of bolognese sauce.
- Add a layer of parmesan and mozerrella cheese.
- Add a layer of lasagna sheets.
- Add bolognese sauce on top.
- Add the basil ribbons.
- Repeat from the start.
- For the very top layer drizzle bolognese sauce, add parmesan, mozerella cheese and basil ribbons.
- Cover the top of the baking dish with aluminium foil, make sure the folio does not touch the top, if it does spray the aliminium foil with cooking spray to make sure that the cheese doesn't stick to the foil.
- Bake covered for about 15 minutes.
- Then remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes. When the mozzerella slices melt and change to a golden brown, you can remove from the oven.
- Let rest and cool for about 15 minutes. Cut to slices and serve with additional parmesan cheese if needed.