I am happy to share an icon of Italian cuisine with you, lasagne al forno. Layers of thin pasta sheets, rich meat ragù, homemade bechamel sauce and cheesy crust. This is simple but delicious comfort food that everyone likes.
Baked lasagna or lasagne al forno is the most delicious dish ever. Children love it, I love it, you love it, everyone loves it. Garfield loves it! Wink. Simply said, no one can say no to it. Raise your hand, who doesn’t like it? I can’t see any hands. Ha ha. Now, hands up, who has at least once, besides asking for one encore, asked for the third portion as well.
There are thousands of variations. They are all good and delicious, for sure. However, if there is one thing that never disappoints, it’s surely tradition. In other words, the only, inimitable and indiscriminately loved on all five continents, the baked lasagna.
The original Bolognese recipe is the one with rich meat sauce called ragù, bechamel sauce and the lovely Parmesan cheese. I can assure you, it will never disappoint you!
It is very easy to prepare. In fact, once the gorgeous sauce is made, simply assemble all the delicious layers and the result is a mess that no one is able to resist. Yummy! It is very important, to be generous with the sauces. Consequently, your baked lasagna will result moist and rich without any dry pasta edges.
How many layers has a lasagna
I would say a minimal count should be three. But this would look like a flattened and poor lasagna. Also, there is no need to make 10 layers. The golden middle, 4-5 layers, is the ideal number of pasta layers in a baked lasagna. Not too low, not too high. Just perfect.
When making the bechamel sauce, choose to prepare a homemade bechamel sauce. Since it is one of the secret ingredients of any successfully baked lasagne, it is worth giving it a try. Besides that, it is budget-friendly and quick to make as well. Also, instead of using butter, I decided on olive oil. The result was a smooth, silky texture with a slight olive oil note. Delicious. Here is a quick tip on how to avoid small clumps forming. Simply use a small whisk to stir, instead of a wooden spoon or spatula.
Another secret is a great meat ragù or sauce. The key to a perfect sauce is patience. A good Bolognese sauce has to cook for at least 2,5 hours. Besides making a lasagna irresistible, it is a perfect ragù for tagliatelle. Check out this tagliatelle al ragù Bolognese and you won’t be disappointed. It is marvellous!
To be honest, I can’t choose between the two. Either tagliatelle al ragù alla Bolognese or baked lasagne are the top comfort pasta dishes.
In addition, making your own fresh pasta at home would make this meal especially perfect. Well, since I’ve bought dry lasagne pasta sheets, my lasagna is only perfect. Wink. Anyway, in order to keep the pasta sheets whole and to prevent them from cracking when cutting them to the desired size, soak them in some warm water for 10-15 minutes. Also, put them in water one at a time, so they don’t stick together.
Ingredients for baked lasagna or lasagne al forno in one big baking dish (40×30 cm) or two smaller ones (20×15 cm):
- 100 g pancetta (diced)
- 2 red onions (diced)
- 3 celery stalks (diced)
- 2 carrots (diced)
- 500 g minced meat
- 200 ml red wine
- 600 g tomato sauce (pure, pelati)
- 10-15 lasagne pasta sheets (or as much as needed)
- green mixed salad
- grated mozzarella cheese
Ingredients for Bechamel sauce:
- 30 ml olive oil
- 30 g flour
- 300 ml oat milk
- salt
- 2 Tbsp manchego cheese (grated)
To begin, prepare the rich ragù alla Bolognese. Wash, clean and dice the vegetables. Chop the pancetta and fry it in a larger frying pan with higher sides until the fat is melted. Then, stir in the diced vegetables and cook them for 10 minutes. Next, add the minced meat and brown it evenly.
At this point, pour in a splash of wine and cook until evaporated. Stir in the tomato sauce (pelati or pure), two ladles of warm vegetable stock and some salt. Then, cover, lower the heat and let it simmer for at least 2 hours. Check on it in between and add one ladle of stock when looking dry. Once the ragù alla Bolognese is rich and perfect, keep it covered and set it aside. Allow cooling a bit.
In a deep plate or bowl, add some warm water and place the lasagna sheets in it one by one. Soak them for 10-15 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the bechamel sauce. In a small saucepan, pour the olive oil. Once warm, stir in the flour using a small whisk until smooth. At his point, start adding milk, a little at a time. Continue stirring until thicker and creamy. Season with salt and add some grated Manchego or Parmesan cheese.
Furthermore, preheat the oven at 180º C and prepare one big baking dish (40×30 cm) or two smaller ones (20×15 cm), both with at least 5 cm high sides.
Lasagne al forno with five pasta layers
Firstly, spread one spoon of ragù or bechamel sauce at the bottom of the dish. Secondly, add one layer of lasagne sheets (drained, cut if necessary) to cover the whole bottom surface.
Thirdly, add 2-3 spoons of ragù alla Bolognese, evenly spread (corners included), followed by 1-2 spoons of bechamel sauce. Continue adding layers in the same order until you reach five pasta layers. Finish with meat sauce, bechamel and plenty of grated mozzarella cheese. Make sure you cover the pasta borders and corners.
Then, cover it with aluminium foil and put it to bake for 45 minutes on the middle rack. Afterwards, remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes until the cheese gets golden and bubbly. At this point, turn off the oven, let the lasagne al forno sit and rest for at least 30 minutes.
Finally, carefully cut the lasagne in forno and serve with some green salad or just like that. You may take an encore, too.
Enjoy.
