If you’ve been using the pre-made sauces to make lasagna, this is your sign to ditch the preservative-laden ingredients, make everything from scratch. Since just like biryani, the magic of lasagna lies in its perfectly cooked layers, here is a step-by-step recipe that you can follow. With some handy tips and tricks, you can make a rich meat-based sauce, lump-free white sauce, layer them together, and bake for an utterly cheesy indulgence.
When you think of comfort food, as an Indian, your mind must definitely go to a bowl of rajma chawal, a paratha topped with butter, or vada paired with sambar. In Italy, lasagna is their go-to soul food. The perfectly layered cheesy dish is a complete meal with a meat-based sauce, pasta sheets, cheese, and balanced seasonings.
Traditionally made of slow-cooked ragù (meat sauce), creamy béchamel, pasta sheets, and a generous sprinkle of cheese, it might seem tricky to match the texture of an authentic lasagna. However, with a few tries, you can nail all the layers. And the best part about lasagna is that it can be easily customised as per your dietary needs. You can make a vegan or vegetarian version, add more veggies, make it cheesier, or spicier, as per your taste.
So, to make it at home, here is a detailed recipe, followed by some quick tips, and frequently asked questions to help you avoid common mistakes and make cheesy lasagna in your first attempt. All you need to
Read MoreFor the Ragu, take a pot and heat some olive oil and butter. Finely chop onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté until soft.
Add pancetta and cook till it turns slightly brown in colour. Then, mix in ground beef and pork. Cook the meat well.
Pour in white wine and let the mixture simmer for about five minutes. Add milk to balance the meat’s acidic nature.
Crush some tomatoes and then mix them in with two tablespoons of tomato paste. Mix in salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Let the sauce simmer for at least an hour or till it thickens.
While the Ragu sauce cooks, you make the Béchamel sauce. Take a saucepan, heat some butter and add flour. Cook for a minute or two before adding milk.
Let it simmer and keep stirring to avoid any lumps. Add some salt and a pinch of nutmeg to taste. Your white sauce will be ready in another five minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C, grease a baking dish, and spread a thin layer of ragu. Top it off with lasagna sheets.
Again, spread a layer of ragu, followed by béchamel, and finally Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers with cheese as the topmost one.
Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil and bake for about half an hour. Then, remove the foil and bake for another twenty minutes till the cheese starts to make bubbles.
Take the lasagna out of the oven and let it cool down a bit. All that’s left is to slice, serve, and enjoy.
Making lasagna is an intricate process, but once you master the recipe, it’ll be your favourite dish to make, pair with wine, or serve at a party. To make a perfect serving of lasagna, follow these tips.
#1 Always pick fresh ingredients. From pasta sheets to cheese to tomatoes, the fresher the ingredients, the better your lasagna will turn out to be.
#2 The secret to making perfect lasagna is patience. Don’t rush any process. Allow the ragu sauce to simmer, let the cheese melt, let the lasagna cool down, and so on.
#3 While layering, start with the sauce and not pasta sheets to make sure lasagna doesn’t stick to the bottom of the baking dish.
#4 Remember not to overcook the pasta sheets, as otherwise, they’ll turn softer. If you’re using fresh pasta sheets, there’s no need for pre-cooking; you can simply bake all the layers together.
#5 Once the lasagna is baked, let it rest for about fifteen minutes, or it will not slice properly and may even collapse.
Yes, to make lasagna vegetarian, you can swap the meat-based ragu sauce with a vegetable-based sauce. You can make it using veggies like mushrooms, onions, carrots, etc.
The best part about lasagna is that you can layer it beforehand, freeze it for up to three months, and then bake it before your meal.
Lasagna turns watery if there’s too much sauce. Also, make sure both the sauces are not of a thinner consistency.
The béchamel sauce can turn lumpy if not stirred properly. To fix the texture, you can strain it through a fine mesh or use a hand blender.
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