Bolognese Lasagna
Slow beef ragù, besciamella, layered noodles and golden top.
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The milk in the bolognese isn't optional - Italian grandmothers will fight you on this. It tenderizes the beef proteins and softens the acid in the tomato. Adds zero dairy flavor, but the texture difference is the whole game. Trust and add the milk.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 8 servings.
- 3 tbspolive oil
- 1 largeyellow onionsmall dice
- 1 largecarrotsmall dice
- 2 stalkscelerysmall dice
- 5garlic clovesminced
- 2 lbground beef (80/20)
- 3 tbsptomato paste
- 1 cupdry red wine
- 28 oz cancanned crushed tomatoes
- 4 cupswhole milkdivided - 1 cup for ragù, 3 cups for besciamella
- 4 tbspunsalted butter
- ⅓ cupall-purpose flour
- ¼ tspnutmegfreshly grated
- 15lasagna noodlesno-boil
- 1 cupgrated parmesanhalal-certified for halal default
- 2 cupsshredded mozzarella
- 2½ tspkosher salt
- 1 tspblack pepper
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 780calories
- 38gprotein
- 56gcarbs
- 44gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Small-dice onion, carrot, celery (this is the soffritto). Mince garlic.
- Grate parmesan and mozzarella from blocks if not pre-shredded.
- Measure out wine, milk (split into 1 cup and 3 cups), tomato paste, crushed tomatoes - bolognese moves fast once you start.
Soffritto
Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium. Add onion, carrot, celery and salt. Cook 10 min until softened and deep golden - this is the flavor base, don't rush. Add garlic, cook 1 min.
11 min · hands onBrown the beef
Raise heat to medium-high. Add ground beef, breaking it up. Cook 8-10 min until deeply browned and most liquid has evaporated. Stir in tomato paste, cook 2 min until brick-red. Pour in red wine, scrape the bottom, simmer 4 min until reduced by half.
15 min · hands onLong simmer
Add crushed tomatoes and whole milk and salt and pepper. Drop to lowest simmer. Partially cover, cook 90 min, stirring every 15-20 min. The milk and slow cook tenderizes the meat and rounds out acidity - this is the soul of bolognese.
90 min · hands offBesciamella
In a clean saucepan, melt butter over medium. Whisk in flour, cook 90 sec until smooth and lightly toasted. Slowly stream in remaining 3 cups warm milk, whisking constantly. Simmer 4-5 min until thick enough to coat a spoon. Off heat: add nutmeg and salt.
8 min · hands onLayer
Preheat oven 375F. Spread 1/2 cup ragù in 9x13. Layer: noodles to 1/4 ragù to 1/4 besciamella to sprinkle parm. Repeat 3 more times. Final top: remaining besciamella and mozzarella and remaining parm.
10 min · hands onBake and rest
Place on a sheet pan (it will bubble over). Bake at 375F, covered with foil tented, 30 min. Uncover, bake 15-20 min more until top is bubbling and golden. REST 20 min before cutting - non-negotiable. Cut into 8 squares.
55 min · hands offMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Chicken cooks faster and drier - simmer ragù only 60 min, add 2 tbsp olive oil. Saves about 15 minutes.
Same as chicken - 60 min simmer, extra olive oil for moisture. Saves about 15 minutes.
Toast garlic bread during the last 8 min of bake. Adds about 10 minutes.
Sub whole milk to oat milk 1:1; vegan butter for the roux; vegan mozz on top.
What keeps
Bolognese lasagna is even better day 2 - the ragù settles into the noodles overnight. Keeps 4 days fridge or 2 months frozen.
Reheat slices covered at 350F, 15-20 min. Ragù alone can be made ahead 3 days and assembled day-of.
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