Lasagna Bolognese

Growing up, lasagna was always around. My mom made it, both of my grandmas made it and now, I make it. It is simple, filling, comforting and makes enough for a crowd or a weeks worth of dinners.

There are plenty of versions of lasagna and although most contain a layer of ricotta or béchamel sauce, our family has always made lasagna with thick layers of a bolognese style meat sauce, freshly shredded cheese, herbs and lasagna noodles. Simple, easy to bring together and absolutely delicious.

Let’s get started…

Begin by adding 2 pounds of ground beef into a skillet over medium to medium high heat and seasoning it generously with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper and your favorite dried Italian herb blend. If you don’t have a dried herb blend on hand, feel free to use dried parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary… whatever you have on hand.

Mix the seasoning into the ground beef and break it down into small pieces.

Once the beef is cooked through and nicely browned, add a diced yellow onion and cook until the onion has softened a bit.

Push the beef off to the side a bit and add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 3 cloves of finely minced garlic into the beef grease and let it cook while stirring for about 60 seconds or until the garlic is quite fragrant.

Add 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes, 8 ounces of tomato purée, about 1/3 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley and a big pinch of salt, mix until everything is evenly distributed and reduce the heat to low.

While the meat sauce is simmering over low heat, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook 16 ounces of lasagna noodles according the manufacturers instructions. Be sure to add a big pinch of salt into the boiling pasta water so your noodles are seasoned well.

Now that the bolognese is ready and the noodles are cooking, shred your cheese and take a second to make sure the meat sauce has enough salt before you assemble everything…

Layering your lasagna can be done in more ways than you may think. There is the traditional vertical layers done in a deep rectangular baking dish, you can make little individual rolls and layer them on their side or nestled next to each other or you could form all of the layers into a giant spiral like I did today.

However you decide to arrange your layers, just make sure you add a little bit of the meat sauce on the bottom of your dish and then go crazy. Noodles, meat sauce, cheese… have some fun with it.

Cover the dish with foil or a lid and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes and then remove the lid and let it bake another few minutes to help melt all of the cheese and let the top layer develop a little color.

This lasagna bolognese is one of my favorite meals of all time. It’s meaty, cheesy, well seasoned and incredibly satisfying. Add a couple of slices of some crusty Italian bread and lightly dressed greens and you are in for a beautiful meal.

Buon appetito!

Lasagna Bolognese

A simple Italian staple made with a rich meaty bolognese style meat sauce, pasta and lots of shredded cheese.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon of onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon of dried Italian herbs
  • salt and black pepper
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes
  • 8 ounces of tomato purée
  • 16 ounces of lasagna noodles
  • 16 ounces of sharp cheddar, shredded
  • 16 ounces of mozzarella, shredded
  • 1/2 cup of parmesan, shredded

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  • Bring a large pot of water over high heat and when the water comes to a boil, add a large pinch of salt and cook the lasagna noodles according to the manufacturers instructions 
  • Place a large skillet over medium heat
  • Add 2 pounds of ground beef and season with a tablespoon of garlic powder, a tablespoon of onion powder, a tablespoon of dried Italian herbs and a pinch of salt and black pepper 
  • Cook until the beef is cooked through and broken into small pieces
  • Add the diced yellow onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion has softened 
  • Add the finely minced garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and cook while stirring for about 60 seconds 
  • Add 28 ounces of crushed tomatoes, 8 ounces of tomato purée and 1/3 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley, mix to combine and transfer off of the heat 
  • Once the lasagna noodles are cooked, drain them and separate them while they are still hot (this will help prevent them from sticking together as they cool)
  • Begin layering the ingredients into a 9"x13" lasagna pan starting with a thin layer of the beef mixture, then a single layer of the noodles, beef mixture, shredded cheese, noodles… repeat and finish with a layer of shredded cheese that completely covers the top of the pan
  • Cover with foil, bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes 
  • Remove the foil and bake until the top layer is melted and golden brown (another 5-7 minutes)
  • Transfer the pan onto a heat proof service and allow the lasagna to cool for 15 minutes before slicing
  • Store leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat, covered, at 375 until warmed through

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