Classic Lasagna Bolognese Recipe

This is the most Authentic Classic Lasagna Bolognese Recipe with Homemade Noodles you’re going to find.  If you’re looking to get a lasagna recipe straight from Italy, then this version is exactly that.  It is loaded with homemade lasagna noodles, bolognese sauce, béchamel sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan for an unbelievable flavor.

There are so many recipes out there that I just simply love.  This Lasagna Bolognese Recipe is definitely one of them.  I mean recipes like these are called a classic for a reason, right?  It’s because they’re insanely delicious… When done right of course.   Whether it be a homemade artisan bread loaf, oysters Rockefeller, or an authentic classic lasagna Bolognese recipe like this one, homemade food from scratch just tastes better.

What’s the Difference Between This and Regular Lasagna?

I’m guessing the way you make lasagna is with some dried noodles, ricotta, eggs, mozzarella, parmesan and some sort of tomato or meat sauce correct?  Those ingredients would be all-encompassing into a regular lasagna recipe.

While sure those things together can taste great, it’s just not the classic way to make a lasagna recipe.  In fact, if you were to go to Italy and visit a restaurant and ask for the most authentic lasagna in the country, this lasagna Bolognese is what they would serve you.

What Is Bolognese Sauce Made Of?

Bolognese sauce is so much simpler then you maybe you thought it was.  I mean it’s literally 10 ingredients, and that includes olive oil, salt, and pepper.  The problem is our culture is too pressed for time to let simple ingredients like the ones in this Bolognese sauce cook for several hours so that it tastes amazing.  Here are the ingredients:

• Onions
• Celery
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Ground Pork
• Ground Beef
• Tomatoes
• Salt and Pepper

The easiest way to make a Bolognese is to finely mince up your veggies, sweat them in olive oil, brown your meat and finish with crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  The hardest part here is letting it cook over low heat so all of those wonderful flavors come out.

Does Lasagna Have Bechamel Sauce?

The white cheesy sauce looking stuff in this lasagna Bolognese recipe is not ricotta and eggs, it’s béchamel sauce.  Bechamel is one of the 5 classic mother sauces along with Tomato sauce, Veloute, Hollandaise, and Espagnol.  This classic recipe will 100% of the time have bechamel sauce in it.

Bechamel sauce is so easy to make, seriously.

• Heat up some milk in a large pot.
• Make a roux in another pan.

• Combine them
• Stir and cook over medium heat until it’s thick.

• Finish with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, which is a French term called nappe.

Do You Need to Make Fresh Pasta for This Recipe

You definitely do not need to use fresh pasta when making this, but I can promise you the flavor will be infinitely better and more authentic if you do.  I’m totally down with making homemade lasagna noodles because quite frankly they don’t have to be perfect in shape.

You’re really just layering on pasta noodles so no need to make the perfect fettuccine or spaghetti noodle, just make your dough and roll it out and cut it to fit in the pan.

How to Make The Noodles

Here’s an easy step by step on how to make lasagna noodles.

1. Pulse together in a food processor flour, eggs and salt until big chunks are formed.
2. Knead the dough for 12 to 15 minutes.

3. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill it for 20 to 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. Divide the dough into 3 pieces and flatten each of them as best you can using your hand.

5. Lightly sprinkle the dough with flour and run it through the pasta roller on setting zero, 3 times.
6. Turn the pasta roller setting to 3 and run it through 2 times.

7. Turn the pasta roller setting to 6 and run it through once.
8. Let the long pasta dough set on a floured surface for 20 to 30 minutes.

9. Cut the long rolled out pasta dough so that it fits inside of your lasagna baking dish.
10. Parboil the noodles in a pot of boiling salted water for 20 to 30 seconds.

11. Drain the water and lay out the pasta next to each other on some kitchen towels.

This is it, now it’s time to layer everything up.

How to Make Lasagna Bolognese

Start by adding some béchamel to the bottom of the casserole pan and then do the same with the Bolognese sauce.  This sort of gives a good coating underneath everything.  Next, add a layer of noodles and then repeat with the béchamel and Bolognese sauce.

Now, sprinkle on some shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Repeat the process until the noodles and sauce are completely used up and bake it in the oven at 400° for 35 to 40 minutes.

There is no set standard on how many layers should be in a lasagna recipe, simply use all of the ingredients up.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: Assemble the lasagna completely and place it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before serving it.  Place it in the oven directly from the refrigerator and bake at 400° for 55-60 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

How to Reheat: Place the desired amount into a small pan or in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and hot.

How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to Freeze: Place covered in the freezer for up to 2 months.  Thaw for 1 whole day in the refrigerator before reheating.

chef notes + tips

• The wine in this recipe and all of my recipes are optional.  You can also use red wine if you’d like.

More Amazing Pasta Recipes

Here’s a list of some of my favorite homemade pasta recipes.

• Authentic Fettuccine Alfredo
• Linguine White Clam Sauce
• Linguine and Prosciutto
• Pappardelle and Puttanesca
• Fettuccine Ricotta and Smoked Salmon
• Gnudi

If you love authentic recipes, then look no further than this one, it’s a winner.

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Pinterest, and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

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Authentic Classic Lasagna Bolognese Recipe

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5 from 25 votes

This is the most Authentic Classic Lasagna Bolognese Recipe with Homemade Noodles you’re going to find hands down on the internet!

Servings: 12

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours

Ingredients 

For the Bolognese:

• 1 peeled and roughly chopped yellow onion
• 4 peeled and roughly chopped carrots
• 4 roughly chopped stalks of celery
• 6 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 ½ pounds of ground pork
• 1 ½ pounds of ground beef
• 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

For the Béchamel:

• 6 cups of whole milk
• 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 9 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

For the Lasagna Noodles:

• 4 cups of semolina flour
• 6 eggs
• ½ teaspoon of sea salt

For the Cheeses:

• 10 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Bolognese: Add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic to a food processor and pulse on high speed until it is finely minced.
• Next, add the olive oil to a large pot over medium heat and add in the minced vegetables and sweat for 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add in the ground pork and ground been and cook until browned and cooked through out, about 15 minutes.
• Pour in the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper. Mix and cook for 90 minutes on low heat. Keep warm.
• Bechamel: Add the milk to a large pot over medium-low heat.
• In a separate pan over medium heat add in the butter until melted.
• Stir in the flour until combined and cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes to make a roux.
• Add the roux to the pot of warm milk and stir over medium-low heat until very thick. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Keep warm.
• Noodles: Add the flour, eggs and salt to a food processor and pulse on high until big chunks are formed. If it’s gritty add water, if it’s real wet add some more flour.
• Transfer to a clean surface.
• Knead for 15 minutes before placing in a plastic bag and resting in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
• Remove the plastic from the dough and cut it into 3 equal size pieces.
• Lightly flour the dough pieces and press down with your hand. Run a piece of dough through the hand crank pasta maker on the 0 setting and run it through 3 times.
• Turn the crank to 3 and run it through 2 times. Change the setting to 6 and roll it out once and ten dust with flour on a clean surface.
• Cut the dough with a knife so that it will fit into layers in a lasagna casserole pan.
• Par boil the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water 6 to 7 noodles at a time for only 20 to 30 seconds.
• Place them separately on kitchen towels until it’s time to plate up.
• To Layer: Place a small amount of bechamel sauce to the bottom of a lasagna pan. Next do the same with the Bolognese sauce.
• Add a layer of cooked noodles to completely cover both sauces. Then do the same with both sauces on top of the noodles.
• Sprinkle some mozzarella and parmesan over the sauces. Repeat the process until the noodles, sauces and cheeses have been used.
• Be sure to reserve plenty of the sauces so that the thickest layer is poured over the top.
• Bake at 400° for 35 to 40 minutes or until browned and crispy in the corners.
• Slice and serve!

Notes

Chef Notes:

• Make-Ahead: Assemble the lasagna completely and place it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before serving it.  Place it in the oven directly from the refrigerator and bake at 400° for 55-60 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

• How to Reheat: Place the desired amount into a small pan or in a baking dish, cover with foil and bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and hot.

• How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

• How to Freeze: Place covered in the freezer for up to 2 months.  Thaw for 1 whole day in the refrigerator before reheating.

Nutrition

Calories: 841kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 43gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 215mgSodium: 686mgPotassium: 925mgFiber: 4gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 4261IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 432mgIron: 6mg

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian