Best Lasagna

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time1 hr 45 mins
Total Time2 hrs 5 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 613kcal

Ingredients

Pasta Sheets:

 4 cups/510 grams 00 or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

 4 whole large eggs
 5 to 6 large egg yolks

Meat Sauce:

 1 tablespoon olive oil

 1 onion, finely chopped
 1 carrot, finely diced
 4 cloves garlic cloves, minced
 24 ounces (700 grams) ground beef mince
 10 ounces (300 grams) ground pork mince, or beef
 24 ounces (700 grams) Passata
 14 ounces (410 grams) crushed tomatoes
 3 heaped tablespoons tomato paste, (I use garlic and herbs flavoured)
 2 beef or vegetable bouillon cubes, crushed
 1 teaspoon each dried oregano and basil
 1/2 teaspoon sugar, (if desired)
 Salt and pepper, season to your tastes

White Sauce (Béchamel):

 4 tablespoons butter
 1/4 cup flour, all purpose or plain
 3 1/2 cups milk
 1 cup fresh shredded parmesan

Lasagna:

 13 ounces (375 grams) fresh lasagna sheets*

 17 ounces (500 grams) fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded
 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions

Pasta Sheets:

1. Mound the flour in the center of a large mixing bowl. Dig a well in the center of the
mound and add the whole eggs and 5 yolks. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and
begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. The dough will start
to come together in a shaggy mass when about half the flour is incorporated.
2. Use your fingers to continue to mix the dough. Press any loose bits of flour into the
dough. If needed, add another egg yolk or a tablespoon of water to absorb all of the flour.
3. Once the dough comes together into a cohesive mass, remove it from the bowl and
transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough by hand until smooth, elastic and
uniform in color, 4 to 5 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside at room
temperature for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours).
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
5. Cut off a quarter of the dough. Rewrap the larger portion and set aside. Use the heel of
your hand to flatten the small piece of dough into an oval approximately the same width
as your pasta machine, about 6 inches wide. Set the rollers to their widest setting and
pass the dough through.
6. Lay the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board or countertop and neatly press
together into halves, so it’s again about the same width of the pasta machine. Feed the
pasta through again at the widest setting. Think of these first rollings as an extended
kneading. Continue to fold the dough in thirds and roll it until it is smooth, silky and
even-textured. Do your best to make the sheet the full width of the machine.
7. Once the dough is silky and smooth, you can begin to roll it out more thinly. Roll it once
through each of the next two or three settings, adding flour as needed, until the dough is
about 1/4-inch thick.
8. Once the pasta is about 1/4-inch thick, begin rolling it twice through the next thinner
settings. As you roll, lightly sprinkle flour on both sides of the pasta to prevent it from
sticking to itself.
9. Roll out pasta until you can just see the outline of your hand when you hold it under a
sheet, about 1/16-inch thick. (On most machines, you won’t make it to the thinnest
setting.)
10. Cut pasta into sheets, about 13 inches long. Dust the sheets lightly with flour, stack on
the prepared baking sheet and cover with a clean, lightly dampened kitchen towel.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Meat Sauce:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, then add in the onion and carrots and cook for
8-10 minutes, or until softened. Add in the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until
fragrant.
2. Add beef and pork (if using) and cook while breaking it up with the end of your spoon,
until browned.
3. Pour in the Passata, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, crushed bouillon and dried herbs.
Mix well to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Season with desired amount of salt
and pepper (I use about 3/4 teaspoon each) and sugar if needed. Cover and cook for
about 20-30 minutes, occasionally mixing, until the sauce has thickened slightly and
meat is tender.
4. Adjust salt, pepper and dried herbs to your taste.

Parmesan White Sauce:

1. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Remove from hot plate; add the flour and
whisk for about 30 seconds, or until well blended.
2. Place pot back onto stove, reduce heat down to low and slowly whisk in 1 cup of the
milk until well combined. Once well blended, add the remaining milk in 1 cup
increments, mixing well after each addition, until all the milk is used and sauce is free
from lumps. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk until it turns into a nice and
creamy consistency.
3. Increase heat to medium and continue cooking sauce while stirring occasionally until it
thickens (about 6-7 minutes) and coats the back of your wooden spoon.
4. Add in the parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and mix
until the cheese is melted through.

To Assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F | 180°F.

2. Spoon about 1 cup of meat sauce on the base of a 9x13-inch baking dish, then cover with
lasagna sheets. (Trim sheets to fit over the meat if needed.) Layer with 2 cups of meat
sauce (or enough to cover pasta), 1 cup of white sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese.
Repeat layers (leaving the remaining cheese for the top).
3. Pour the remaining meat sauce and white sauce over the last layer of lasagna sheets and
top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden and
bubbling.
4. Garnish with parsley and let stand for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

It might surprise you to learn that lasagna didn’t originate in Italy. Italy claims it was them, but they
should only be credited for perfecting the layers and layers of the scrumptious dish that we call lasagna. It
actually originated in Ancient Greece a very long time ago. Lasagna, or “Lasagne” is derived from the
Greek word ‘Laganon’ which is the first known form of pasta. Laganon wasn’t traditionally lasagna like
we know it. It used to be layers of pasta and sauce. Therefore, the name came from the method it was
made, not for the ingredients it’s made with. Laganon used to describe flat dough that was sliced in strips.
In Northern Italy, you’ll find lasagna with flat noodles and in southern Italy the noodles will be rippled.
Here in the United States we use the rippled noodles. The ingredients Italians use in their lasagna will
depend on the part of Italy their family came from. Researchers in Britain found a cookbook that had a
lasagna recipe from the 1390’s and claim they are the ones that invented the first lasagna.