Lasagne al Forno (Italian Beef Lasagna)

Method14 steps · about 4 hr 15 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Finely chop the carrot (1 cup), onion and celery (1 cup) to measure about 1 cup each. Sauté them gently in the tablespoon of olive oil (1 tbsp) in a large deep pan for about 10 minutes, until soft without browning. Add the ground beef (500 g) and pork (500 g) and cook, breaking them up, until browned.

   Soften vegetables before adding ground meat · 10 minUses 1 cup finely chopped carrot (about 1 large carrot) · 1 cup finely chopped white onion (about 1 large onion) · 1 cup finely chopped celery (about 1 large stalk) · 1 tbsp olive oil · 500 g ground beef · 500 g ground pork

2. 2

   Step 2: If there is a large pool of excess fat in the browned meat pan, spoon some out. Add the red wine (250 ml) and simmer until it reduces by half.

   Uses browned beef and pork with softened vegetables · 250 ml red wine

3. 3

   Step 3: Once the wine reduces, stir in the passata (540 g), tomato paste (3 tbsp), bay leaves (2) and the first 1 litre of beef stock. Add a pinch of ragu salt flakes and some ragu pepper, keeping additional seasoning for the final taste.

   Uses browned meat mixture after wine reduction · 540 g passata · 3 tbsp tomato paste · 2 bay leaves · First 1 litre beef stock · A pinch from the ragu salt stock · Black pepper, to season the ragu

4. 4

   Step 4: Simmer the ragu gently, uncovered, for at least 3 hours until rich and thick. After about 1½ hours, add the reserved 500 ml beef stock, then simmer for the remaining 1½ hours. If it reduces too far, add the optional water in 125 ml additions only as needed. Taste before adding extra ragu salt or pepper. Remove the bay leaves before assembly.

   First 1½ hours; add reserved stock and repeat for second half · 90 minUses tomato-meat ragu with initial stock · Reserved 500 ml beef stock, added halfway · Optional water in 125 ml additions, only as needed · Extra ragu salt only if needed · Extra ragu pepper only if needed

5. 5

   Step 5: For the white sauce, melt its 70 g butter in a saucepan until it bubbles.

   Uses 70 g butter for white sauce

6. 6

   Step 6: Stir only the 70 g white-sauce flour into the melted butter to form a paste. Cook for 1 minute, stirring.

   Uses melted white-sauce butter · 70 g all-purpose flour for white sauce

7. 7

   Step 7: Slowly whisk the first 500 ml of white-sauce milk into the roux, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Once it thickens, add the remaining 500 ml milk, ½ tsp nutmeg, all 70 g Parmesan and a pinch of white-sauce salt plus some sauce pepper.

   Uses cooked butter-flour roux · First 500 ml white-sauce milk · Remaining 500 ml white-sauce milk · ½ tsp ground nutmeg · 70 g Parmesan, freshly grated · A pinch from the white-sauce salt stock · Black pepper, to season the white sauce

8. 8

   Step 8: Keep stirring the white sauce over heat until it coats the back of a spoon. Taste and add more white-sauce salt or pepper only if needed, then remove from the heat and set aside.

   Uses white sauce with milk, nutmeg and Parmesan · Extra white-sauce salt only if needed · Extra white-sauce pepper only if needed

9. 9

   Step 9: Preheat a fan/convection oven to 180°C (350°F). Prepare a 9 × 13 inch baking dish and drain and tear the mozzarella for topping (250 g).

   Uses 250 g mozzarella, drained and torn for topping

10. 10

    Step 10: Spread a small amount of the finished ragu over the dish base. Add the first layer from the 500 g ready fresh pasta sheets, cutting to fit without excessive overlap. Keep the remaining ragu and sheets for further layers.

    Uses A small portion of finished ragu for the dish base · Enough fresh sheets for the first layer

11. 11

    Step 11: Cover the first pasta layer with a few more spoonfuls of the remaining ragu and about two ladlefuls of the prepared white sauce.

    Uses first fresh pasta layer over ragu-coated base · Some ragu remaining after the base portion · About two ladlefuls of prepared white sauce

12. 12

    Step 12: Repeat with the remaining fresh sheets, ragu and white sauce to make 4–5 pasta layers. Keep enough white sauce to cover the final pasta layer. Use the remaining ragu within the filling layers and finish with pasta and white sauce.

    Uses first sauced pasta layer · Remaining fresh sheets after the first layer · remaining finished ragu · remaining prepared white sauce, including topping

13. 13

    Step 13: Scatter all the prepared torn mozzarella over the final white-sauce layer. Bake for about 45 minutes until bubbling, golden and hot throughout.

    Bake mozzarella-topped lasagna · 45 minUses assembled lasagna topped with white sauce · drained and torn topping mozzarella

14. 14

    Step 14: Let the baked lasagna rest for 5–10 minutes before cutting into eight generous or ten smaller portions.

    Rest lasagna before cutting · 10 minUses baked mozzarella-topped lasagna