A rich, indulgent meal perfect for cosy family gatherings around the kitchen table. Thinly sliced potatoes make a good value substitute for lasagne sheets
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
Sarah Akhurst
Our Food Director Sarah is a food obsessive, and spends most of her time scoping out the latest food trends, experimenting in her own kitchen, or making her family wait to eat while she photographs every dinner she makes for the 'gram! A complete Middle Eastern food junkie, she is never far from a good shawarma marinade, a pinch of Aleppo chilli or a sprig of dill
See more of Sarah Akhurst ’s recipes
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Ingredients
For the ragù
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 tsp fennel seeds
80g cubetti pancetta
1kg 20% fat pork mince
200ml white wine
300ml chicken stock
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp clear honey
10g fresh sage, roughly chopped
For the béchamel
50g butter
50g plain flour
750ml milk
½ tsp ground nutmeg
75g Stilton, crumbled
75g Parmesan, grated
For the lasagne
100g kale
1kg potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
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Step by step
For the ragù, heat the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onion, carrots and celery for 8-10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, fennel seeds and pancetta; fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the pork mince, breaking it up well. Fry for 4-5 minutes, or until browned all over. Add the wine, let it bubble and reduce then add the stock, balsamic, honey and sage. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, uncovered. Season and set aside.
For the béchamel, melt the butter in a large saucepan and mix in the flour to make a paste. Cook gently for a minute or so, stirring. Slowly add the milk, whisking as you pour to prevent lumps forming. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Mix in the nutmeg, Stilton and half the Parmesan, stirring until the cheese has melted. Season and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Blanch the potato slices in a pan of boiling water for 3-4 minutes until just tender, then drain and set aside. Put the kale in a microwaveable bowl with a splash of water. Cover and cook for 90 seconds, until wilted, then drain.
To layer up the lasagne, put a third of the ragù in the base of a baking dish. Top with a third of the kale and then drizzle over some of the béchamel. Cover the surface with a layer of potatoes, then repeat the layers finishing with a layer of potatoes and then a final layer of béchamel. Sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan and bake for 1 hour, until golden and bubbling and the potatoes are tender. Cover the top with foil during cooking if it starts browning too much.
A good tomato paste helps to thicken but also adds a sweet and savory umami flavor. Lean Ground Beef: Lean beef adds a robust and hearty meatiness that's essential in a classic lasagna recipe.
The key to creating the absolute best lasagna is to use a combination of ricotta and cottage cheese. Ricotta brings the rich creaminess while cottage cheese lightens things up and seasons the whole dish. For even more cheese, we recommend also using shredded Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese (or Pecorino Romano).
For extra creamy ricotta, add in an extra egg, a handful of grated parmesan, and a quarter cup of shredded mozzarella. Eggs help prevent the ricotta from drying out and serve to bind the ricotta so it doesn't become runny. One or more eggs are recommended whether you add the other ingredients mentioned here or not.
Let me break it to you: If you want to make a lasagna, three layers just won't cut it! For the perfect lasagna, you need at least 4-5 layers to really enjoy all those mouth-watering flavors. And, here's a pro-tip: make sure to season each layer generously, but not too much. The average lasagna has 8 layers!
For the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook over the heat for one minute. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, whisking until thickened. Add the Dijon mustard and parmesan cheese and season well with salt and pepper.
In a 9x13-inch (23x33 cm) glass baking dish, add a layer of bolognese to the bottom. Top with noodles, then spread a layer of the ricotta mixture on top. Repeat with another layer of bolognese, noodles, ricotta, noodles, bolognese, then top with mozzarella and additional Parmesan.
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Prep time: 25 mins
