The lasagna, originally an Italian dish, is now popular all over the world and has now evolved into many variations of the original. The classic recipe, however, is made with meat of choice cooked in sauce, then layered with pasta sheets and cheese and baked to perfection. The style differs in various parts of Italy. For example, the southerners use a basic tomato sauce as the base whereas in the Northern parts the Bechamel sauce is used instead. Whatever variations you choose, the basic lasagna is very easy to make and is a great party dish. Listed below is a simple and delicious recipe for lasagna which you can whip up in a jiffy to impress your guests. Read on.
Complexity Level: Basic
Time Required: 40 minutes to an hour, excluding baking time
Resources Required:
- 9 sheets of lasagna cooked as per instructions, each about 10 x 18 cm
- 3 table spoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped fine
- 1 large carrot, chopped into small cubes
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 500 gms minced beef
- 1 cup Italian dry red wine
- 400 gms tinned, chopped tomatoes
- 1 table spoon tomato puree
- 1 courgette, chopped into small cubes
- 10 basil leaves
- 50 gms cold butter, salted
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Large baking pan
- Stock pot
- sauce pans
- Wooden spoon
- 100 gms salted butter
- 100 gms plain flour
- 1 litre full fat milk
- 100 gms freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions:
1. Prepare the meat
- Place the large saucepan over medium heat and pour in olive oil.
- Once the oil is hot add the chopped onions, carrot and celery and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add minced beef, breaking the clump lightly and continue cooking for a further 5 more minutes, stirring regularly. You can stop once the meat has slightly browned.
- Season with enough salt and pepper and stir well.
- Pour in wine and stir well and cook till the wine has completely evaporated.
- In that, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, courgette and the basil. Stir well till all the ingredients are mixed together.
- Lower the heat and cook for about 1 hour, uncovered or till you get a rich and thick sauce.
- Make sure you keep stirring in between and do a taste test after about 30 minutes and add salt and pepper as required if it’s isnt enough.
2. Make the Bechamel sauce
- Place a saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter in it.
- Stir the flour and cook for about a minute after which you have to slowly whisk in the milk.
- Reduce the heat and cook, whisking continuously for about 10 minutes.
- Once the sauce has slightly thickened, add half of the grated Parmesan cheese and the nutmeg.
- Stir well, season with salt and pepper and then take it off the heat and leave aside to cool slightly.
3. Assembling
- Pre heat the oven to 350F and lightly grease a large lasagna tray with butter or oil.
- Pour a spoonful of the bechamel sauce into the base of the tray and cover with 3 of the cooked lasagna sheets. Cut the sheets to fit the tray properly, if required.
- Spread half of the cooked meat over the lasagna sheets and then pour about a third of bechamel sauce over it.
- Top with 3 more lasagna sheets and continue the process till all of the ingredients are used.
- Make sure your last and final layer should be the Bechamel sauce and that the sheets are well submerged.
- Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top and scatter the cubed butter. You can add some ground black pepper over the whole lasagna as well.
4. Cooking
- Place the lasagna tray on the lowest shelf of the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Then place it on the middle shelf, raise the temperature to about 400F and continue to cook for 15 more minutes until the top is golden and crispy all over.
- Once done, take the pan out of the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What other variations of lasagna can I make?
One of the variations would be to omit the Bechamel sauce and use the tomato sauce alone. You can also add any vegetable of choice like eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini etc. Using broken noodles instead of lasagna sheets takes it to a whole new level. You can also replace the beef with minced lamb and even turkey.
Quick Tips:
1. Add cheddar cheese instead of parmesan for a completely different taste.
2. Don’t overdo the filling as it could ruin cooking times.
3. Lasagna can be made very quickly. Do all the preparations till just before baking, then cover the top loosely with an aluminium foil and refrigerate. Bake only when you are ready to serve.
Things To Watch Out For:
- Keep a close watch while making the bechamel sauce, as it could scorch at a very short notice.
- While baking, if you overdo it the cheese on top can burn.
