How to Make Beef Lasagna
Beef lasagna is a well-loved family meal all over the world and my version with a trio of cheeses, béchamel and homemade tomato passata in a word is: SUBLIME. Between each moist layer of fresh egg pasta sheets is a mixture of veal and pork mince, smothered in sweet tomato sauce. There are two key things to make yours as good as mine – you need patience and quality ingredients, no shredded mozzarella or cheap passata here. No need to thank me, just make it, eat it and share it.
Watch How to Make Beef Lasagna Video Recipe:
How to Make Beef Lasagna Like an Italian
Vincenzo’s Top Tips To Make Beef Lasagna
It should be beautiful and moist
Make sure you break down the meat well so it becomes beautiful and moist once cooked, not dry and chunky!
Add your wine at the right time!
Don’t skip this step and don’t do it later! This is the perfect time for your wine to add just the right amount of flavour.
SAVE some for later
Don’t worry if the batch of sauce looks too big! You can always put it in containers and leave it in the freezer or fridge for another meal (or a few!)
Just the RIGHT amount and NOT too much
Add ingredients in moderation and never too much sauce!
Beef Lasagna
Print Recipe
Equipment
- Large-medium pot
- Small saucepan
- Pyrex dish or similar baking tray
- Small bowl
- wooden spoon
- Whisk
- Glass
- Chopping-board
- knife
- Tablespoon
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 500 grams Organic grass fed veal mince, 17.65oz
- 500 grams Organic grass fed pork mince, 17.65oz
- 1 Carrot, diced into small cubes
- 1 Celery stick, diced into small cubes
- ½ Brown onion, diced into small cubes
- 2 Bottles Italian passata, Homemade or organic if possible
- 1 glass Red wine
- Salt & Pepper
- Provolone cheese
- Buffalo Mozzarella , or Fior di latte
- Grated pecorino, or Parmigiano Reggiano
- Fresh egg lasagna pasta sheets
- Extra virgin olive oil, EVOO
- For Béchamel Sauce:
- 25 grams Butter, 0.88oz
- 25 grams Cups plain flour, 1/8
- 250 ml Milk, 8.45fl oz
- Sprinkle of salt
- Sprinkle of nutmeg
Instructions
MAKING THE SAUCE:
- Beef lasagna recipe starts with the most important step – making the soffrito! This is the key to a tastier filling so add a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil to a large pot and let it slowly heat.
- Next, add the chopped up carrot, celery and onion and leave to cook for 5-10 minutes or until it has started to soften.
- Add the mincemeat to your pot and break it down using a wooden spoon while it starts to brown. Leave to simmer and stir every so often until it has started to brown.
- Once the mincemeat for your beef lasagna has browned, add the glass of red wine and stir through with a wooden spoon. Leave this to simmer until it evaporates remembering to stir every so often.
- Add 1 ½ bottles passata and stir through. Make sure the stove is on a medium-low heat, then cover the pot and let simmer for one hour.
- Go back to the pot every now and then and stir the sauce using a wooden spoon.
- After one hour, remove the lid and you will notice the tomato has reduced. Add one glass of water at this point and let cook on a low heat. Add more water if you believe it has dried up too much otherwise leave as it is.
- The sauce needs another hour to cook with the lid off. Remember to stir it!
HOW TO MAKE THE BECHAMEL SAUCE:
- Next, the béchamel! Put the small saucepan on your stove at a low heat and add butter.
- Leave to melt slowly then add flour and quickly stir using a whisk. Keep doing this until the flour has disappeared.
- Slowly add the milk (around 1/4 at first) and don’t stop stirring! Continue adding the milk and stirring – be gentle yet firm. This will avoid it from sticking to the bottom and also from forming lumps.
- The sauce should start to become creamy and thick – stop once you have reached your desired consistency.
- Turn off the stove and add a sprinkle of salt and nutmeg.
ASSEMBLING THE LASAGNA:
- Line the baking tray with extra virgin olive oil or melted butter, using a pastry brush.
- Adjust the size of the lasagna sheets according to your dish so they fit nicely just by cutting them to size.
- Add a scoop of beef lasagna sauce to the bottom of the try and spread it all over, before laying down the first layer of lasagna sheets.
- Next scoop more sauce over the top of the pasta and spread it (using the bottom of a tablespoon or a wooden one) before sprinkling pecorino/parmigiano cheese on top, then add provolone and fresh mozzarella (your desired amount).
- Add some béchamel – not too much and spread it slightly.
- Add another layer of pasta sheets then repeat step 17 until you create the number of layers you wish – I aim for 5-6!
- Add plain basil tomato sauce on top, spreading it all over, edge to edge and in each corner too.
- Coverv the beef lasagna with foil and place in a pre-heated oven for 20 minutes at 180°C/350°F (fan forced).
- Remove from the oven and take the foil off, before adding a generous sprinkle (all over) of pecorino/parmigiano cheese.
- Bake in the oven again (no foil) for another 10 minutes then remove and let cool.
- E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
Video
How to serve Beef Lasagna
Beef lasagna should be served warm so leave to set then slice and serve. It needs absolutely nothing on top – devour as it is!
A Florence Trattoria’s Take: Chef Federico’s Tuscan Lasagna
I went to Florence and stepped into the kitchen at Trattoria Quattro Leoni, where I met Chef Federico and Chef Sabe. Chef Federico showed me how he builds his lasagna with fresh lasagna pasta, rolled thin and cut into neat sheets, then layered with ragù and silky béchamel.
What I want you to take away from this visit is a method you can follow in your own kitchen. Watching each stage helped me understand where to take my time and which small details matter. Let me show you what Chef Federico shared, so you can put those lessons to work on your next tray of lasagna.
Watch: Restaurant Quality Lasagna – Chef In Italy Shares His Unique Recipe
Three Things to Prepare Before the Assembling the Lasagna
Chef Federico’s lasagna had one difference you could spot straight away: the pasta. Traditional lasagna alla Bolognese uses green spinach pasta, just like my version, which you can find here. His used plain pasta sheets instead, giving us the restaurant’s Tuscan take on the Bolognese classic.
He broke the preparation down into three components: fresh lasagna pasta rolled very thin and cut into rectangles, béchamel made with butter, flour, milk and nutmeg, and a meat ragù. He was particularly proud of the ragù and told me how popular it was at the restaurant. With that sauce going between every layer, it deserved the attention.
Once those three components were ready, it was time to assemble. Chef Federico aimed for at least five or six layers, building enough height to give each portion a generous stack of pasta and sauce.
Getting the Béchamel Right
Chef Federico began by melting butter in a large pot, then gradually worked in the flour while whisking. Together, they formed a roux, the butter-and-flour mixture that would thicken the milk. He kept it moving around the pot, watching for the yellow color to turn lightly golden before adding any liquid.
For him, this stage was about paying attention to what was happening in the pot. Years of practice meant he could judge the mixture by sight and feel, but the lesson for anyone following at home was simple: give the flour time to cook and keep whisking so it does not catch on the bottom.
He gradually added whole milk, followed by freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper. Then came more whisking as the sauce thickened. He described a cooking time of around 20–25 minutes, but the consistency mattered more than the clock. The béchamel needed to be smooth and thick enough to spread between the pasta sheets, without becoming a stiff paste.
Preparing the Ragù Before Assembly
The meat ragù was already prepared when we began, and Chef Federico explained that it had cooked for three hours. He did not walk us through its ingredients during this demonstration, but he made it clear that this sauce was something the restaurant took pride in.
He also told me that during their busy season, they could sell six or seven trays of lasagna pasta a day, sometimes more. Looking at the generous layers going into ours, I could see how one portion would be a meal in itself. With all that pasta, béchamel and rich ragù, you could happily skip another course and leave the table feeling completely satisfied.
Cooking and Cooling the Lasagna Pasta Sheets
The fresh lasagna pasta sheets used for our demonstration were slightly thicker than the restaurant’s usual sheets, so Chef Federico planned to build five layers. He briefly blanched the rectangles in boiling water, leaving them just long enough to soften.
From there, the sheets went straight into a bowl of ice water to stop them cooking further and make them easier to handle. They needed to stay intact for layering, so this was a gentle process. Trying to assemble lasagna with hot, slippery pasta is not the sort of kitchen challenge anyone needs.
Assembling the Lasagna, One Layer at a Time
Chef Federico spread a dollop of béchamel across the bottom of the baking pan before laying down the first pasta sheets. He followed with more béchamel, an even layer of meat sauce and a generous sprinkling of grated Parmigiano, then repeated the sequence.
He took care to spread the sauces across each layer rather than leaving them piled in the middle. This gave the pasta an even covering and helped distribute the filling throughout the tray.
For the final layer, he carefully covered the filling with pasta, then spread béchamel right across the surface. More ragù and a final covering of Parmigiano finished the tray. That cheese would brown in the oven, creating the crisp top that makes choosing your portion such a serious decision.
A Golden Finish for Every Portion
Once the lasagna was assembled, Chef Federico explained that it needed time to settle before portioning. Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or leave it overnight, to help the layers firm up before cutting it into squares.
For restaurant service, he placed individual portions into terracotta dishes and bake them in a hot oven at 250°C (482°F). The heat browned the Parmigiano on top while the portion warmed through. The time needed depended on how cold the lasagna was to begin with, so the golden surface was only part of the check: the center needed to be hot, too.
After a brief rest, it was ready to serve in its own dish. Beneath that crisp Parmigiano topping were tender pasta sheets, creamy béchamel and rich ragù, all waiting to be scooped up together in the first forkful.
A Big Thank You to the Quattro Leoni Kitchen
A big thank you to Chef Federico and the team at Trattoria Quattro Leoni in Florence for welcoming me into their kitchen and sharing how they prepare their lasagna pasta. I loved seeing the care behind each stage, from patiently whisking the béchamel to making sure every layer had its share of ragù. Now you can bring those techniques into your own kitchen, and perhaps save yourself a corner portion before the whole family sits down for dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions About Lasagna Pasta
What is lasagna pasta?
Lasagna pasta is the wide, flat sheet of pasta used to build a lasagna. It can be fresh, rolled thin and briefly blanched, or dried, which may need boiling first unless it is an oven-ready sheet that softens in the sauce. In this Florence method, Chef Federico used fresh sheets, blanched and cooled in ice water before layering.
Can I use homemade pasta for lasagna?
Yes. Homemade pasta works well for lasagna, especially when rolled into thin, evenly sized sheets. Cut them to fit your baking dish and follow your recipe’s instructions for blanching. Chef Federico briefly cooked his fresh sheets, then cooled them in ice water before assembling the layers.
Can I use dried lasagna noodles instead of fresh pasta?
Yes, but check which type you have. A traditional dried lasagna noodle may need boiling first, while an oven-ready sheet is designed to cook in the sauce during baking. Follow the package instructions and use a recipe suited to that pasta, because dried sheets need different cooking times and moisture levels from fresh, pre-cooked pasta.
Are there different variations of Italian lasagna?
Yes. There are many regional and family variations of lasagna. Lasagna alla Bolognese traditionally combines green spinach pasta with ragù, béchamel and Parmigiano. Other versions include ricotta, different meats, vegetables or pesto. Chef Federico’s version uses plain pasta sheets for the restaurant’s Tuscan interpretation. of Italian lasagna?
What is ragù?
Ragù is an Italian meat sauce, usually cooked slowly to develop its flavor. A Bolognese-style ragù commonly includes ground beef, pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, tomato and wine, with milk included in some recipes. Ingredients vary by region and household, so not every ragù contains the same combination.
Can I add garlic to my ragù?
Garlic is not traditionally included in classic ragù alla Bolognese, but you can add a little if you enjoy the flavor. Cook it gently and be careful not to burn it, as burnt garlic can taste bitter. Start with a small amount so it complements the meat and vegetables without overpowering them.
Why do I need to stir the béchamel continuously?
As béchamel thickens, it can catch on the bottom of the pot. Use a whisk to stir the sauce, reaching into the corners and across the base. This helps distribute the heat and keeps the texture smooth. Gradually incorporating the milk also makes it easier to work out lumps as you go.
How many layers should lasagna have?
There is no single number that every lasagna must have. The depth of your dish, thickness of the pasta and amount of filling all matter. Chef Federico aimed for five or six layers, spreading the sauces evenly so each portion had a balanced amount of pasta, béchamel and ragù.
E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
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If Chef Federico’s Lasagna Has Made You Hungry, Check Out These Recipes Too
- ULTIMATE BOLOGNESE SAUCE RECIPE – My Ultimate Bolognese makes a rich, meaty filling for your next lasagna, with ground beef, pork and pancetta simmered slowly with tomatoes, wine and soffritto. Make a generous batch, because you will want some left for tomorrow.
- WHITE LASAGNA RECIPE – This white lasagna brings together beef, mushrooms and broccoli with creamy béchamel, mozzarella and provolone. Lift off the foil, add the final layer of cheese and return it to the oven for a golden, bubbling top that deserves an appreciative “ahhh!”
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