How Long Does Fresh Lasagna Take To Cook

Lasagna Bolognese

September 12, 2013

Image may contain Food Pasta Lasagna Pizza Cutlery and Fork

This version of the Italian classic tastes as though it's been perfected over generations. Marcus Nilsson

This homemade version of the Italian classic tastes as though it's been perfected over generations.

Ingredients

8 Servings

Bolognese Sauce

large onion, coarsely chopped

medium carrot, peeled, coarsely chopped

celery stalk, coarsely chopped

tablespoons olive oil

pound ground beef chuck

pound ground pork

oz. pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

cup dry white wine

cup whole milk

14.5-oz. can crushed tomatoes

cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided

Fresh Pasta Dough and Noodles

teaspoon kosher salt

cups all-purpose flour plus more

large eggs, room temperature

Béchamel

tablespoons unsalted butter

cup all-purpose flour

cups whole milk, warmed

pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

Kosher salt

Assembly

Kosher salt

Unsalted butter, room temperature (for dish)

cups finely grated Parmesan

Special Equipment

A pasta maker

Preparation

Bolognese Sauce

Step 1

Pulse onion, carrot, and celery in a food processor until finely chopped.

Step 2

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add beef, pork, pancetta, and vegetables; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until moisture is almost completely evaporated and meat is well browned, 25–30 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Add wine to pot and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Add milk; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until moisture is almost completely evaporated, 8–10 minutes. Add tomatoes and 2 cups broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, adding water by ½-cupfuls if sauce looks dry, until flavors meld and sauce thickens, 2½–3 hours.

Step 4

Let sauce cool, then cover and chill at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. (Letting the sauce sit will give it a deeper, richer flavor.)

Step 5

DO AHEAD: Sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Fresh Pasta Dough and Noodles

Step 6

Whisk salt and 3 cups flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center, and crack eggs into well. Mix eggs with a fork, then slowly mix in flour until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting lightly with flour if sticky, until smooth, about 5 minutes (it will be fairly stiff). Wrap in plastic; let sit until dough holds an indentation when pressed, 1–2 hours.

Step 7

Set pasta maker to thickest setting; dust lightly with flour. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time and keeping remaining dough wrapped in plastic as you work, flatten dough into a narrow rectangle (no wider than mouth of machine); pass through rollers. Fold dough as needed to fit and run through again. Repeat without folding, adjusting machine to thinner settings after every pass and dusting with flour if sticky, until pasta sheet is 1/16" thick (setting 8 on most machines). Place pasta sheets on a lightly floured surface and cut crosswise into 16 8"-long noodles.

Step 8

DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 1 day ahead; chill. Bring to room temperature before rolling out, about 1 hour. Noodles can be made 1 day ahead. Stack on a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper between each layer. Cover with plastic wrap and chill.

Béchamel

Step 9

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in warm milk, ½-cupful at a time. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until the consistency of cream, 8–10 minutes; add nutmeg and season with salt. Remove from heat, transfer to a medium bowl, and press plastic wrap directly onto surface; let cool slightly.

Step 10

DO AHEAD: Béchamel can be made 1 day ahead. Keep covered and chill.

Assembly

Step 11

Reheat the sauces. Combine Bolognese sauce and remaining 1 cup broth in a large saucepan over medium heat, and heat until sauce is warmed through.

Step 12

Meanwhile, if you made the béchamel ahead of time, heat in a medium saucepan over low heat just until warmed through (you don't want to let it boil).

Step 13

Working in batches, cook fresh lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until just softened, about 10 seconds. Remove carefully with tongs and transfer to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Drain noodles and stack on a baking sheet, with paper towels between each layer, making sure noodles don't touch (they'll stick together).

Step 14

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 13x9" baking dish with butter.

Step 15

Spread ¼ cup béchamel in the prepared baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, spread over a scant ¾ cup Bolognese sauce, then ½ cup béchamel, and top with ¼ cup Parmesan. Repeat process 7 more times, starting with noodles and ending with Parmesan, for a total of 8 layers. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake lasagna until bubbling and beginning to brown on top, 50–60 minutes. Let lasagna sit 45 minutes before serving.

Step 16

DO AHEAD: Lasagna can be assembled 12 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before baking. Cook, covered with foil until the last 20 minutes, then finish cooking uncovered.

Note

Step 17

Homemade pasta is great: It's rich and can be rolled very thin. But of course it's not your only option: Fresh store-bought: Available in the refrigerated section of specialty stores and Italian grocers. Usually a bit thicker than what our recipe calls for but still a good choice. Buy 1½ pounds. Sizes vary by shop; if needed, trim the noodles during assembly to fill the pan without much overlap. Dried: If you spot imported dried egg noodles, they're worth the splurge, but standard supermarket durum wheat will work just fine (avoid no-boil, though). Supermarket noodles are thicker, so make fewer layers. Cook 24 noodles (1–1½ boxes) per package instructions; divide sauces evenly among 6 layers. Trim noodles as needed.

How would you rate Lasagna Bolognese?

Reviews (20)

I was drawn to this recipe because the usual heavy ricotta version, while delicious, has way too much dairy for my lactose intolerant self. While the amount of time it takes to make is daunting, it's well worth it. Its the best lasagna I've ever made. I do make a few concessions and short cuts which don't affect the end result in my opinion. First, pancetta. Its not readily available where I live so I substitute bacon. Second, I use Barilla no boil noodles. Because they are dry, the do need extra liquid and I typically add some extra stock to compensate. I also don't wait the 12 hours to rest the bolognese. I do let it cool down a couple hours but make the lasagna same day. I also sometimes stretch the bolognese to two lasagnas and double the bechamel and parmesan and noodles. In the layers missing the bolognese, I add sautéed vegetables like mushrooms zucchini and swiss chard.
Best lasagna ever! Not a ricotta fan so I was drawn to this recipe. First, the bolognese sauce is SO good. Fortunately I had a little leftover for another pasta night. I've made this recipe 5 or 6 times before with "fresh" store-bought lasagna sheets. It was great then but decided to try making the sheets per the recipe and it went from great to awesome. Like some reviewers, I was concerned with what appeared to be dryness in the dough after kneading but went with it and made no changes. The end result was a silky lasagna that melted in your mouth. I followed the recipe completely, including tin foil cover for the last 20 minutes of baking, and it turned out perfectly. It was a 3-day process but well worth it!
My dough was way too dry - I added an extra egg and probably 2 tsp olive oil. Maybe my eggs were too small. I also added ricotta to a few layers per my husband's request. It worked great just dolloped on, but definitely made some of the layers thicker. Between the ricotta and probably being a little heavy handed on the Bolognese and béchamel, I got 6-7 layers instead of the 8 mentioned here and had some pasta leftover. Worth it.
This lasagna saved my marriage
This Bolognese is the best! It is not a traditional meat sauce/ragu. You should not add oregano and basil. And you do not need extra tomato. The milk is very important. I use ground pork, veal and beef- equal parts. At the end I add a touch of cream to make it even richer and do add the extra stock. Following the directions, it is rich and velvety. I think it's better than most Italian restaurants!
I adore this project recipe. We call it "Blizzard Lasagna" because everytime we have a blizzard (or other appropriate excuse) i make this very comfy and tasty dish. I increade it to 12 layers, and increaae the batch by 50%. The noodles I make are paper thin (use the thinnest setting on Kitchen Aide) to the point I can read the recipe through the noodle. Folks that have issues with dry noodles, make sure you rest the dough long enough. Dry sauce...make sure you are adding the last cup of broth as called for. You can also add water along the way as mentioned in the recipe. Good luck and enjoy!
Love this recipe. I'm a bit lazy so I use Trader Joe's no cook lasagna noodles. Still turns out great. I also make sure to cook the sauce at least a day before the lasagna. I usually end up with some extra sauce, which I just eat with pasta. It's kinda dry compared to other lasagna but I think it's way better. I always cook the onion and beef longer than it says. But this is my favorite lasagna ever. Highly recommend
This recipe is amazing. I've made it about 50 times and feel like I have to spread the word on what a special dish it is. As many of the other reviewers wrote, it's a lot of work, but totally worth it. It is my family's favorite meal and what I make for all special occasions because they love it so much. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend it....
This recipe was a disaster. The bolognese ended up being dry and the amount was insufficient to cover the lasagna. The bechamel was a thick sauce that could not be spread at all. Certainly not enough sauce for 8 layers. It came out of the oven absolutely dry, highly dreadful to eat. Although I must say the bolognese tasted quite pleasant. I used dry pasta so I cannot comment on the dough quality.
Saw complains about the dough being dry. I used a rolling pin and it was not a problem but not as thin as one using the machine. Just have to rest the dough for an hour or two before rolling it out.
Delicious and worth the effort. This was my first time making this kind of lasagna and I love it. It was so different from what I was used to, such as milk in the bolognese sauce and using a bechamel. I didn't miss the mozzarella or Italian seasonings called for in other versions. For leftovers, I froze individual pieces and then sealed in my vacuum sealer with two pieces/bag. Just reheated in the toaster over at 350 for 30-45 minutes and was still great.
I've made this recipe many times. The Bolognese sauce is perfect. I always make a double batch to freeze some for great weeknight pasta sauce. The lasagne is a gourmet delight and is company worthy. I make the pasta in my cuisinart and add a little water until it forms a ball while processing. Love the crispy bits of thin pasta around the edges. It is definitely worth the two days it takes to make!
Follow up: my recipe of course doesn't make enough dough for this recipe, so I used the recommended 3 cups flour + 6 eggs + hefty drizzle of evoo + salt.
The recipe in general is great, but the pasta dough itself is a fail for me - not enough eggs and the dough was way too dry, I could not get it to roll through my machine without splitting and falling apart (and it barely would go through at all). I've made fresh pasta hundreds of times using a recipe of 1 1/4 cup flour with 2 eggs + a drizzle of evoo and some salt and I've never had a problem. I had to dump the dough I made from this recipe and make a new batch with my usual recipe and then it was smooth sailing from there...
Really delicious - not a dish to whip up when you feel like pasta, but worth it. I have to figure out how to avoid the noodles sinking in the middle - I used a 13x9 dish and each caved in. Still tasted great but not that attractive. Probably helps to leave the dish covered w foil during baking. I had leftover bechamel and may use more next time. Really wonderful and satisfying without being cheesy or watery - I never liked baked pasta with ricotta (sorry nonna)...