Authentic Lasagna al Forno Recipe – Homemade Italian Comfort Food at Its Best
By Rebecca St.Clair
This classic lasagna al forno recipe is perfect if you’re craving something comforting and full of flavour. This traditional recipe combines classic Italian techniques with simple, wholesome ingredients for a baked pasta dish that’s rich and satisfying.
This recipe takes it’s time for the best flavours and texture. Made with slow-cooked Bolognese-style beef ragù, smooth béchamel, and a rich cheesy crust. Perfect to enjoy with family and friends.
This hearty dish is the ultimate comfort food—and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. This recipe is full of the deep, savoury flavours that makes lasagna a beloved classic. It’s the kind of meal that’s worth every step, and even better the next day!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Traditional – A time-honoured classic recipe.
Flavourful – Slowly cooked to bring out the best natural flavours of each ingredient.
Hearty – Layers of hearty meat, rich sauce, and thick sheets of homemade noodles.
Crowd-pleaser – This recipe is always a favourite.
Leftovers – Leftovers taste even better the next day after all the flavours have mixed and mingled together in the fridge overnight!
How to store leftover lasagna al forno
This recipe bakes a big hearty baked lasagna. Storing it properly will ensure you can make the most out of your leftovers.
Fridge
- Allow the lasagna to cool to room temperature.
- Cover the baking dish completely with foil or plastic wrap. You can also move leftover portions to an airtight container.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer
- Allow the lasagna to cool completely.
- Place leftover portions in an airtight, freezer-safe container or wrap the casserole dish completely in plastic wrap and foil.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat the leftover lasagna al forno
Move to the fridge to thaw overnight. Bake in the oven at 375°F (190°C) for 30–45 minutes, covered with foil. Or bake from frozen for about 60–90 minutes (loosely covered with foil).
What is unique about Italian lasagna al forno vs. a classic American lasagna?
The meat sauce
Lasagna al forno is made with a slow-cooked beef ragù, often made with beef, pork, and pancetta. It also contains finely diced vegetables, tomato, and wine.
American lasagna is typically made with a ground beef tomato sauce, flavoured with garlic and herbs.
The white layer
Lasagna al forno is made with a creamy white béchamel sauce.
American lasagna is typically made with a thick layer of ricotta cheese
Pasta sheets
Lasagna al forno is typically made with fresh pasta sometimes made with a spinach pasta. This is common in nothern Italy for Lasagna alla Bolognese.
American lasagna can be made with fresh or dried noodles. Oven ready packaged sheets are very common in homemade lasagnas.
The cheese
Lasagna al forno is typically made with a hard cheese like Parmigiano-Reggiano.
American lasagna is typically made with a thick layer of soft cheese on top, usually mozzarella.
The layers
Lasagna al forno is made with 5-6 thin layers of sauce and pasta.
American-style lasagna is typically made with 3-4 layers with the layers of sauce and cheese being thick.
Ingredients
Fresh lasagne pasta sheets – You can replace this with store bought.
–For the beef ragù–
Olive oil – For frying, use extra virgin.
Pancetta – Adds a rich, savoury, depth of flavour.
Ground beef – Provides the meaty base flavour.
Ground pork – Adds a distinct flavour and richness.
Shallot – Cut very finely to use in the soffritto. Can be replaced with 1/2 an onion.
Celery – Cut very finely to use in the soffritto.
Carrot – Cut very finely to use in the soffritto.
Red wine – Used to deglaze the pan and add the perfect contrast of acidity. Can be replaced by the same amount of white wine.
Tomato paste – Provides a rich, concentrated tomato flavour.
Tomato sauce – Use passata or your favourite tomato sauce.
Salt and pepper – Flavour.
–For the béchamel–
Butter – For richness.
Flour – Cooks with the butter to make a thick sauce.
Milk – For a silky smooth sauce.
Nutmeg – Nutty flavour.
Salt & Pepper – Taste
Parmigiano-Reggiano – Can be replaced by your favourite cheese like Pecorino Romano.
How to make Lasagna al Forno
beef ragù
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium-low heat.
- Dice, very finely, 1/4 lb. of pancetta, or use a food processor for a no-chop version.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the Dutch oven. Once heated, add the pancetta.
- Allow it to fry and release the fat into the pan. Stir occasionally.
- Meanwhile, chop 1 shallot, 2 ribs of celery, and 2 carrots very finely or add to a food processor until you have a fine vegetable mixture.
6. Add this to the pan with with pancetta and fry a few minutes.
7. Cover and allow the vegetables to cook and soften 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add 1 lb. ground beef and 1 lb. ground pork to the pan. Stir and break up the meat. Allow it to cook until the pink just disappears.
9. Add in 1 cup of red wine and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan.
10. Cook and stir until the wine is absorbed into the meat mixture.
11. Add in 1 can of tomato paste, and 1 jar of passata or tomato sauce of choice.
12. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate everything into the sauce.
13. Cover the pan, leaving a little crack for some steam to escape.
14. Allow the sauce to simmer on low heat for 4 hours. (Check and stir a few times throughout the process. At this point you can make your pasta noodles)
15. Remove from the heat. The sauce should be very thick and flavourful.
16. Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste.
the pasta
- Make your own spinach pasta here or use store bought lasagne sheets.
- For homemade pasta, cut them into the size you need to fit the casserole dish.
- Bring a large of salted water to a boil.
- Gently lower 2 – 3 sheets of pasta into the water and allow them to cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the thickness of the sheets. If using store bought, cook according to the package instructions.
- Carefully remove the sheets with kitchen tongs and dip them into a bowl of cold ice water to stop them from cooking.
- Lay the partially cooked sheets on a lined baking sheet until ready to assemble the lasagna.
béchamel
- To a medium pot or pan over medium-low heat, melt 4 Tbsp of butter.
- Remove from heat and whisk in 1/3 cup of flour until thick, about 1 minute.
3. Gradually whisk in half of the 2 1/2 cups of milk until you have a smooth sauce. Whisk in the rest of the milk and 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg. Return to the heat.
4. Simmer, stirring often until the sauce thickens.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. If preparing the sauce in advance, transfer to a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
- To a tall rectangular casserole dish, spoon enough of the beef ragù to just coat the bottom of the dish.
- Cover with a single layer of pasta sheets.
- Spread on a thin layer of the beef ragù and cover with a layer of pasta sheets.
- Spread on a thin layer of the béchamel and sprinkle with a small handful of grated parmesan cheese.
6. Repeat the layers, finishing with a layer of béchamel and Parmesan. You should have 5 – 6 layers.
7. Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet (this will prevent any spills in the oven).
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Allow to rest 20 minutes before serving.
Traditional Lasagna al forno
This traditional recipe combines classic Italian techniques with simple, wholesome ingredients for a baked pasta dish that’s rich and satisfying.
Ingredients
- homemade or store bought lasagne sheets
ragù
- 2 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil 30 ml
- 1/4 lb pancetta 100 g
- 1 shallot
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 carrots
- 1 lb ground beef 500 g
- 1 lb ground pork 500 g
- 1 cup red wine 250 ml
- 5.5 fl oz. tomato paste 156 ml
- 23 fl oz. Passata 680 ml
- salt and pepper to taste
béchamel
- 6 Tbsp butter 90 g
- 2/3 cup flour 100 g
- 3 3/4 cup milk 925 ml
- 1 tsp nutmeg 3 g
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano or cheese of choice 128 g
Instructions
beef ragù
- Heat a large Dutch oven to medium-low heat.
- Dice, very finely, 1/4 lb. of pancetta, or use a food processor for a no-chop version.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the Dutch oven. Once heated, add the pancetta.
- Allow it to fry and release the fat into the pan. Stir occasionally.
- Meanwhile, chop 1 shallot, 2 ribs of celery, and 2 carrots very finely or add to a food processor until you have a fine vegetable mixture.
- Add this to the pan with with pancetta and fry a few minutes.
- Cover and allow the vegetables to cook and soften 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 1 lb. ground beef and 1 lb. ground pork to the pan. Stir and break up the meat. Allow it to cook until the pink just disappears.
- Add in 1 cup of red wine and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan.
- Cook and stir until the wine is absorbed into the meat mixture.
- Add in 1 can of tomato paste, and 1 jar of passata or tomato sauce of choice.
- Season with salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate everything into the sauce.
- Cover the pan, leaving a little crack for some steam to escape.
- Allow the sauce to simmer on low heat for 4 hours. (Check and stir a few times throughout the process. At this point you can make your pasta noodles)
- Remove from the heat. The sauce should be very thick and flavourful.
- Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste.
the pasta
- Make your own spinach pasta here or use store bought lasagne sheets.
- For homemade pasta, cut them into the size you need to fit the casserole dish.
- Bring a large of salted water to a boil.
- Gently lower 2 - 3 sheets of pasta into the water and allow them to cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the thickness of the sheets. If using store bought, cook according to the package instructions.
- Carefully remove the sheets with kitchen tongs and dip them into a bowl of cold ice water to stop them from cooking.
- Lay the partially cooked sheets on a lined baking sheet until ready to assemble the lasagna.
béchamel
- To a medium pot or pan over medium-low heat, melt 4 Tbsp of butter.
- Remove from heat and whisk in 1/3 cup of flour until thick, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in half of the 2 1/2 cups of milk until you have a smooth sauce. Whisk in the rest of the milk and 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg. Return to the heat.
- Simmer, stirring often until the sauce thickens.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- If preparing the sauce in advance, transfer to a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
- To a tall rectangular casserole dish, spoon enough of the beef ragù to just coat the bottom of the dish.
- Cover with a single layer of pasta sheets.
- Spread on a thin layer of the beef ragù and cover with a layer of pasta sheets.
- Spread on a thin layer of the béchamel and sprinkle with a small handful of grated parmesan cheese.
- Repeat the layers, finishing with a layer of béchamel and Parmesan. You should have 5 - 6 layers.
- Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet (this will prevent any spills in the oven).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow to rest 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
Follow the link in the post for spinach pasta for an authentic Lasagne alla Bolognese
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 574Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 132mgSodium 598mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 2gSugar 8gProtein 35g
Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
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