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How To Make Authentic Italian Lasagna: Follow This Guide

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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.

prep time 1 Hour 15 Mins
cook time 1 Hour 30 Mins
chef Garima Johar

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

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Tips and Tricks

  1. Use a good quality convection to bake the lasagna. An excellent bake is what will melt the cheese on top, turning it into a sultry golden brown, while warming up the layers below.
  2. Make tomato paste in a mixer grinder so it acquires a smooth texture. This ensures that the tomatoes blend seamlessly into the ragu mixture. 
  3. The secret to making perfect lasagna is patience. Don’t rush any process. Allow the ragu sauce to simmer lightly in a kadai or a frying pan so it cooks beautifully to release a stunning aroma. 
  4. Use a veggie cutter to finely chop the onions that form the base of the ragu sauce, the signature tasting note in the lasagna. Uniformly chopped onions will get a splendid even caramelisation. 
  5. Once the lasagna is baked, let it rest for about fifteen minutes, and slice it using a good serrated kitchen knife so a block of all the layers of the pasta falls off perfectly.
Step 1

For the Ragu, take a pot and heat some olive oil and butter. Finely chop onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté until soft.

Step 2

Add pancetta and cook till it turns slightly brown in colour. Then, mix in ground beef and pork. Cook the meat well.

Step 3

Pour in white wine and let the mixture simmer for about five minutes. Add milk to balance the meat’s acidic nature.

Step 4

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.

Step 5

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. 

Step 6

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.

Step 7

Preheat the oven to 180°C, grease a baking dish, and spread a thin layer of ragu. Top it off with lasagna sheets.

Step 8

Again, spread a layer of ragu, followed by béchamel, and finally Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers with cheese as the topmost one.

Step 9

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.

Step 10

Take the lasagna out of the oven and let it cool down a bit. All that’s left is to slice, serve, and enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.