Is there really anyone who, when asked “Lasagna?”, has ever managed to answer “No!”?
If you're one of those people, we at Mamù wonder why you're still here wasting time. If instead you're one of those who'd eat lasagna every Sunday but are moving away from mamma and want to put the saying “it runs in the family” to the test, you're in the right place! Here is the recipe for baked lasagna!
First, a word of warning: the lasagna you grew up loving at home can only be eaten at home. If you want to learn to make it yourself, you also need to know there are a thousand variations. Once you find the version closest to what your palate loves, you can start creating your very own recipe.
Let's start with the basics: the original baked lasagna comes from Bologna, with ragù, béchamel and a Parmesan crust on top. But don't panic. Making baked lasagna isn't as hard as it may seem to kitchen beginners. Let's start with choosing the ingredients.
Baked lasagna recipe: a tip on ingredients
Starting with well-chosen ingredients will make your recipe better and tastier. But there are a couple of things to know before you charge in with a knife between your teeth:
- If you make the ragù yourself, choose very fresh, knife-minced meat and remember to add pancetta to the soffritto.
- Speaking of pancetta, choose sweet flat pancetta, because smoked pancetta can change the flavour too much.
- Again for the ragù, choose a tomato sauce with low acidity.
- If you also decide to make the béchamel yourself, well done! You've got guts as well as good taste. Everything you manage to make at home will make your recipe even more special.
- For the pasta, we recommend fresh egg lasagna sheets.
Difficulty: Not very high
Preparation: 120 min
Cooking: 180 min
Cost: Medium
Ingredients for four people:
- 500 g ragù
- 12 fresh lasagna sheets
- 500 ml béchamel
- 120 g grated Parmesan
- 40 g butter
Baked lasagna recipe: the ragù
Making the ragù is perhaps the most exciting challenge in building a lasagna (spoiler: no, the béchamel is harder, but more on that later). It certainly takes time: at least three and a half hours is the minimum for a decent ragù. For this part of the recipe alone you'll need:
- 350 g minced meat
- 100 g chopped celery, carrots and onions
- 75 g flat pancetta
- 50 ml milk
- 1.5 l meat stock
- 100 g tomato paste
- salt and white wine to taste
The method:
- Take the pancetta and chop it until it becomes a fine, even paste.
- Heat a large enough pot to fry the pancetta for at least 5 minutes.
- Chop the vegetables and add them to the pancetta with two tablespoons of oil. Fry for about three minutes.
- Now you can add the minced meat. Let it brown for another two or three minutes.
- Time for the wine. Not to drink, but to deglaze until the alcohol has completely evaporated.
- Add the tomato paste. Wait for it to boil and add salt.
- The cooking can now go on for three hours. But stay nearby: every so often you'll need to stir and add more meat stock if needed.
- After three hours, add the milk and cook for another half hour. The milk brings out the flavour of the sauce.
Baked lasagna recipe: the béchamel
As we said, what will really make your guests jump out of their chairs (for the flavour, hopefully) is homemade béchamel. For the ingredients:
- 100 g flour
- 100 g butter, 1 l milk
- salt to taste
- nutmeg to taste
And here is the technical part:
- Put a Mamù pan with the butter over low heat and wait for it to melt.
- Add the flour a little at a time, stirring until you get a smooth paste.
- Put the milk in a separate saucepan and bring it to the boil. Add nutmeg and salt.
- Now you can add the paste.
- Cook and stir over low heat for a couple of minutes: your béchamel is ready.
Baked lasagna recipe: building the layers
You're nearly there: soon you'll have made your first baked lasagna. All that's left is to assemble the ingredients in the baking dish (at least 35x22 cm) and put it in the oven. Now for the legendary layering of pasta sheets: there must be at least seven.
- Grease the dish with butter. Spread a layer of ragù, béchamel and Parmesan.
- Cover with the first layer of pasta. You can already prick it with a fork so no air bubbles form.
- Second layer: more sauce, Parmesan, béchamel.
- Another layer of pasta, always remembering to prick it. Keep going until you run out of ingredients.
- When you reach the last layer, spread ragù and béchamel evenly and cover with the last sheet of pasta.
- For the crispy top, add grated Parmesan and flakes of butter. Don't forget the corners!
- Put the lasagna on the lowest oven rack for twenty minutes at 180°C.
- Switch on the grill, move the dish to the middle rack and cook for another five minutes.
Now all you have to do is take it out, let it cool a little and dig in! Enjoy your meal!
Yes, we know what you're thinking: you're hosting a dinner and looking for a dessert to follow the lasagna. For a first date we suggest a heart-shaped cake. For a group dinner, pair it with a light cake such as mimosa cake.
