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
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!
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Incredible Lasagne! Everyone loves it when i make it.
Thanks!
Do you need to precooked the fresh pasta sheets?
It depends on the type of fresh pasta sheets you have. Some fresh pasta sheets are pre-cooked and can be used directly in lasagna, while others are not pre-cooked and need to be boiled in salted water for a few minutes before being layered in the lasagna.
Did you drain the meats before adding the wine?
it’s not necessary to drain the meat before adding wine, as the liquid from the meat will help to deglaze the pan and add flavor to the dish.
Hi Vincenzo.
If I want to make lasagna to take to another house, what is better? Do I make the whole recipe and once I get to the other place I heat it up or do I do the whole recipe except for the last step and when I get to the other place I add the pecorino and put in the oven for the last 10 minutes?
If you want to take lasagna to another house, I would suggest preparing the entire recipe, including the final step of adding the pecorino and baking it in the oven for the last 10 minutes. Once it’s done, let it cool down a bit, cover it with foil, and transport it to the other location. When you’re ready to serve, reheat it in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350°F or until heated through. This way, the lasagna will still be fresh and hot when you arrive at the other house, and you won’t have to worry about adding the cheese and baking it there. Buon appetito!
That’s about how I’m making it, but the foil covering the lasagne while it is in the oven is a great tip!
It’s a great way to keep the top layer from getting too crispy or burnt while the rest of the lasagne cooks to perfection.
I love it
Beef lasagna is a classic comfort food that is perfect for any occasion, and it’s also a great dish to make ahead of time for a busy weeknight or to share with family and friends.
So excited to cook this. We love everything you do. Thankyou for your inceridble talent and wishing you and your family wonderful things for 2023. Philip and Gabrielle Lenarduzzi 🇮🇹❤️
How many servings is this for?
Serves around 2 – 5 people.
This was my first time making lasagna and I’m so glad to have found this recipe. It was easy to follow and produced a very delicious dish. Everyone loved it!
That’s fantastic to hear! I’m thrilled that my beef lasagna recipe was helpful to you, especially for your first time making lasagna. It’s always a joy to share recipes that are easy to follow and result in a delicious dish.
It looks amazing! I am definitely going to try this next weekend! I normally use just beef but I think I’ll try with half pork and half beef to add more flavour. Mine often comes out a bit dry so I will try and follow your recipe to the letter!
One question I had – do you not put garlic in the meat sauce? I thought lasagne always had garlic in it, but perhaps I have been following the wrong recipes up till now!
Thank you! I’m glad you like the recipe. I think half pork and half beef would be a great way to add more flavor to your lasagna. And following the recipe to the letter should help to prevent your lasagna from being dry.
Garlic is a common ingredient in lasagna sauce, but it’s not essential. If you don’t like garlic, or if you’re allergic to it, you can leave it out.
This is the best lasagna recipe i ever made. All my family loves it so much! It’s like a big hug on a plate. The only ingredient that i can’t find where i live (in Portugal) is the provolone cheese. I tried to use S.Jorge portuguese cheese, but will keep trying to find the Provolone. Whenever i make this lasagna i feel like I’m in Italy! Thank you so much for all the amazing tips!
I’m delighted you love the lasagna! São Jorge cheese is a fantastic substitute. Enjoy the Italian flavors, and you’re welcome! If you have other recipes in mind, do let me know how it goes too. Happy cooking.
Make sure, ALWAYS that when you use celery to make sure that you use the LEAVES FIRST. That’s where the big part of your flavour is for your soffritto. The flavour of celery leaves is incredible and delicious, especially when you’re sweating down the onions and carrots for your soffritto. Please, don’t waste them, use those leaves & be surprised at the flavour. It’s incredible.
Absolutely, you are absolutely right! Celery leaves are a fantastic and often underrated ingredient that can add a burst of flavor to your dishes, especially when making a soffritto. It’s a common practice in Italian cooking to use the leaves first because they hold a lot of aromatic goodness that enhances the overall taste.
How big is a “bottle” of passata? I can get everything ranging from 0,3L to 1L here…
Ciao! A typical “bottle” of passata is 750ml. However, you can also find passata in smaller bottles, such as 300ml or 500ml, and in larger bottles, such as 1L or even 2L. It really depends on what your local grocery store has available.
Amazing Vincenzo! Have made twice and everyone loves it. My 7 year old son and I made it today and it kept us busy for hours. He had 2 serves!
Highly recommend this lasagne. The best I’ve had.
I also made my wife one with dairy free cheese and bechamel and it was also amazing.
Thanks mate. Love your work.
I’m so happy to hear that you and your family are enjoying my beef lasagna recipe so much. I’m also impressed that your 7-year-old son was able to help you make it. That’s awesome! I’m especially happy to hear that you were able to make a dairy-free version of the lasagna for your wife. I’m always looking for ways to make my recipes more accessible to everyone, and I’m glad that you were able to enjoy a delicious lasagna even though you have dietary restrictions.
Fantastic dish. Vincenzo, thank you so much for keeping the traditions of excellent Italian food masterpieces alive. Your recipe filled a typical 9 inch x 11 inch (23 cm x 28 cm) rectangular baking dish with a cup of sauce left over to enjoy later. I cut the finished lasagna into 12 large servings. This lasagna is surprising light so I would estimate 4-6 persons will enjoy as it is simply too good to eat just one piece. The pecorino, provolone, and nutmeg put it over the top. Thanks Vincenzo!!
I love your idea of cutting it into 12 large servings — it sounds like the perfect way to share this delicious dish with friends and family. Thank you for trying out the recipe, and I appreciate your support in keeping the spirit of Italian food alive.
Fantastic ! Magnificent even. Best home lasagna ever. I made your friend David’s Bolognese and made enough to make this lasagna and it was perfect. Why was I using ricotta before? Fresh lasagna pasta makes the difference and ni need to boil . A thousand thanks!
I agree with you that using fresh lasagna pasta makes a big difference. It’s so much more flavorful and tender than pre-cooked lasagna noodles. And you’re right, there’s no need to boil fresh lasagna noodles before assembling the lasagna. Just layer them in the pan and they will cook perfectly in the oven.
Amazing!!!! I used unfortunately lasagne from packet. The next time i will follow your instructions to make homemade fresh lasagne. I used buffalo mozzarella, parmigiano amd grana padana (graded) and ricota… I didn’t found provolone or pecorino. Vincenzo, thanks for your effort in order for us to cook these Italian recipes. I will try also one time to prepare lasagne with various cheeses (yellow and white) from my country Greece!!!!
I’m delighted to hear that you enjoyed the beef lasagna! Using fresh homemade lasagne sheets can add another layer of deliciousness, so it’s a great idea to try that next time.
Great recipe..;-)
the only thing i don’t understand: why do you call it “beef-lasagna” if you use pork and veal..?
Greeting, Peter
I appreciate your keen observation. While many traditional lasagna recipes use beef, I enjoy the rich flavor that comes from combining pork and veal in this variation. It’s my take on a classic, adding a bit of depth to the dish.
The best lasagna I have ever had!!!
Thank you so much for the glowing compliment! I’m thrilled to hear that the beef lasagna recipe was a hit and earned the title of the best you’ve ever had.
Do you only use the Bechamel Sauce one the first layer?
In traditional lasagna, Bechamel is often used between layers to add creaminess. Feel free to customize it to your liking—some like it on every layer, while others prefer it sparingly.
On an episode of the Sopranos, it’s revealed that Carmella adds a layer of fresh basil in her lasagne, is this a good idea?
Fresh basil? Carmella, you’re getting fancy! Sounds good to me, long as there’s still plenty of that cheesy goodness! Hit me up when when you’ve given it a try, I’d like to know how it went.
have you made lasagna with the pasta hanging over the sides. Still.l laying noodles in the middle in layers. But when finishing you fold the pasta hanging over the sides on top. Then sauce and cheese. Encasing all that yummy saucy goodness ☺️
Great idea! I haven’t tried that yet, but I’ll definitely give it a shot. Thanks for sharing!
This recioe is amazing. i made it for my friend for his birthday last November and was delighted with the amazing flavours. So simple and easy to make. I will never make it any other way again. I am making it again tonight for my mother and can’t wait! I enjoy your recipies so much and try them all. I am making Tiramisu for a special dinner ar a friends on Sunday! managed to find all the ingredients in my small rural town in Canada. So excited! Wish me luck!
That’s fantastic. I’m so glad that the beef lasagna was a hit to your friend’s birthday. Rooting for you with the Tiramisu. Sending good vibes from your small town in Canad. Enjoy the special dinner.
The most amazing, cheesy, and soft lasagna I’ve ever done
I’m glad you love the recipe. I made it extra with love.
Thanks for the recipe Vincenzo, I am an avid watcher of your recipe and critique video posts on facebook – love them!
Your Lasagna is the planned meal for Easter Sunday lunch with the family.
Thank you so much for your support! It means a lot to us. Cooking for loved ones on special occasions is a beautiful tradition, and I’m honored to be a part of yours this year. This recipe is definitely a game-changer, designed to bring a burst of flavor and joy to your table. Wishing you a wonderful Easter filled with joy and delicious food. Happy cooking, and may your lasagna be a huge hit! Please let me know how your lasagna turned out; I’d love to hear about it!