This is my family classic Italian lasagne recipe. My mom has been making it since I was little, and I always loved helping her layering all the ingredients.

The lasagne recipe is definitely known worldwide. It’s a popular dish everywhere in Italy and is often associated with Sundays, festivities and family gatherings. Making lasagne is not that difficult however it takes a while to prepare it properly, but the good news is that you can make it well ahead of time and freeze it, raw or cooked.

Usually when I have time, mainly in winter on colder days when it rains and weekends are mostly spent inside, I prepare lasagne in batches. I then cook it and freeze it portioned. They come handy on days when I know I’m very busy so I take it out of the freezer the night before to allow it to thaw out completely in time for lunch.

Lasagne recipe: ingredients are the key

The key to preparing fantastic and authentic lasagne is the “sugo“. Usually it is made with minced pork and beef, but if you don’t like meat you can use my vegan bolognese sauce, or just onion and tomato passata. If you choose to go traditional however, be sure the meat you are using is high quality. Italian sausages are very different from all other sausages around the world, if you can get those, the final taste will be more authentic.

The other crucial point in preparing the authentic Italian lasagna is the bechamel.  The white sauce makes this dish soft and creamy and gives it a unique texture.

Last but not least is the pasta: you can prepare it at home or use the one you buy in the stores, either fresh or dried, but it has to be a high quality product. When I’m in a hurry or I don’t want to spend time preparing the pasta I usually use the dried one, it’s really quick to use and you don’t even have to cook it first.

When using dried pasta sheets you can use this simple trick:  the bechamel and the tomato sauce  should be very runny, this way the pasta sheets will absorb all the excess moisture and cook properly.

Recipe variations

• Vegetarian: you can make the tomato sauce without the meat. Simply skip the step and use only carrots, celery and onions and then add the tomato sauce.
• Fiber rich lasagne: you can add between layers some blanched leafy greens like spinach or chards, or collard greens.
• White lasagne:  to make white lasagne skip the tomato sauce, and layer the pasta with vegetables and cheese. Some examples are:
  – Artichokes and mozzarella
  – Blue cheese and radicchio
  – Mushrooms and cheese
  – Broccoli with aged cheese
  – Eggplants or zucchini or both and mozzarella.

Lasagne recipe: healthy tips and tricks

Lasagne are a very rich recipe with a lot of meat, cheese and milk. In some regions in Southern Italy some recipes use boiled eggs and salame and they call it timballo. However you can make this recipe in a lighter version without feeling too guilty about it.

Actually the amount of pasta you need for this dish is less than a usual pasta serving. Additionally, if you opt for a vegetable lasagna, you end up eating 3 of your 5-a-day veggie portions.

To reduce the fat content in the recipe I usually do not add any oil or other fat to the sugo (especially when using meat such as sausages) or to the béchamel. I know many will think that it’s not a béchamel if does not contain a lot of butter, but I can assure you the taste will be amazing but the calories won’t be as much as a traditional serving. Try the white sauce in the light cauliflower gratin for a low fat quick béchamel.

You can also make lasagne into a slow cooker.

Home made pasta for Lasagne

If you want to make your own pasta follow the recipe on the home made pasta page. To make lasagne with your home made pasta cut the sheets it into 10x15cm rectangles. You can also cut pieces of pasta the sieze of your tray.

When making your own pasta, you can also try to use different flours. I sometimes add some spelt, whole wheat flour or barley to make the pasta richer in nutrients. Barley, for example, contains betaglucans that helps our heart  and cardiovascular system staying healthy.

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Authentic Italian lasagne recipe

This is my family recipe, a very simple and classic one. Even though it takes a bit of time, it's absolutely worth the effort. You can double the recipe and freeze it. It's the prefect recipe for parties or family gatherings.

Course Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword classic lasagne, Italian lasagne, Italian lasagne recipe, lasagne recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 300 gr of fresh egg pasta
• 300 gr of mozzarella cheese
• 150 gr of greated parmigiano or grana padano

For the tomato sauce:

• 800 gr of canned tomatoes puree or tomato passata
• 400 gr of minced meat pork and beef
• 3 italian sausages
• 1/2 carrot
• 1/2 celery stalk
• 1/2 onion
• 400 ml of water
• 2 tablespoon of oil
• 1/2 cup red wine

For the béchamel:

• 600 ml milk
• 30 gr butter
• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
• a pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

PREPARE THE SAUCE

• Chop finely the onion, the carrot and the celery. Heat a sauce pan, add the oil and the veggies and let them cook for a couple of minutes. If you like you can add chili pepper.
• Add the minced meat and the sausages and stir fry until the meat changes color (il will turn slightly grey). Then add the wine  and let it evaporate.
• When the wine has evaporated, add the tomato puree and the water, mix well then add the salt and pepper and let it cook for about a couple of hours on low. Stir from time to time and check the sauce, if it’s too dry add a little water.

PREPARE THE WHITE SAUCE OR BECHAMEL

• Make a roux by melting the butter in a pan, then add flour and mix. Transfer the roux in a bowl.
• Bring the milk to a boil, then pour it on the roux while stirring vigorously with a whisk to make the mixture dissolve. Pour the milk back into the pot, add the grounded nutmeg, salt and bring it again to a boil while stirring.
• As soon as it starts to thicken. Boil for a 2/3 minutes, until it becomes thick as a cream. Remove from the stove and cover with a lid. You could use plastic wrap but plastic and hot food do not go well together. Microplastics and other toxic compounds may leak into your food.

RAW OR COOKED PASTA?

• Using cooked pasta: bring the water to a boil, add salt and cook a few sheets of pasta at a time for three minutes. In the meantime prepare a large bowl with icy water. Remove the pasta from the pot with a kitchen tong or a fork and put it int the water to stop the cooking process.
• Using raw pasta: if you want to go for the quicker recipe, avoid cooking the pasta and go directly to layering the ingredients. Remember to add some water or to make the sauce and the béchamel a bit more runny to allow the pasta to cook.

PUT IT ALL TOGETHER

• Set your counter for the layering. Take the saucepan with the tomato sauce, the bowl with the pasta, the white sauce, the mozzarella cheese chopped finely and the parmigiano near the baking tray (40x30cm) you’re going to use to cook the lasagna.
  
• Start by spreading a spoonful of tomato and white sauce on the base of the tray. Then add the pasta sheets until the bottom is covered.
  
• Add a ladle of tomato sauce, white sauce, sprinkle some parmigiano and a little mozzarella cheese. Keep layering all the ingredients. If you want a crispy lasagna, you should add more parmigiano on top and less on the inside.
  
• Cook the lasagna in the oven at 200°C (about 390°F) for about 45 to 55 minutes, depending on how crispy you like the top.