Lasagna Bolognese.
It’s time to cozy up by the fire with wine and lasagna Bolognese!
If you want major comfort and flavor this December season, you’ve got to add this to your list. Lasagna bolognese is the quintessential winter meal that must happen in your life.
It’s no secret that every December, I get a craving for tomato-based recipes! This didn’t happen until the year I was pregnant with Max, and up until then, I really didn’t care for tomato sauce whatsoever – unless it was on pizza.
Then, I had a baby and everything changed.
I love having a great tomato sauce based recipe for the holiday season because it’s comforting and tastes SO good. This one is fantastic and can be a make ahead meal, a great one for a dinner party or something you can prep for a weeknight after work.
Warning: this is some MAJOR comfort food.
The other plus that comes along with this is that it’s perfect for pairing with my current red wine obsession. I haven’t been into red wine for years. I don’t know what it is, but this season I am loving it. Don’t get me wrong – I’ll always choose a Pinot Noir to keep it fairly mild, but I actually find myself craving that too.
Can you tell I’m very much a cravings person? I always have been. I never really had cravings during pregnancy, but regular life cravings? All the time, yes and yes.
Full disclosure: I ALWAYS make this using leftover Bolognese in The Pretty Dish. I die for the Bolognese. You guys love it too – it’s easily one of the most popular recipes in the book. I love it because I can make a super hearty, flavorful version and use ground pork or sausage. But I can also lighten it up and use ground turkey and chicken. I’ve made it so many different ways, keeping the base sauce consistent with the fire-roasted flavor that I love.
Since you can find that recipe in The Pretty Dish, I’m including a different version below. It works in a pinch!
My favorite noodles to use for this are the no-boil whole wheat lasagna sheets from DeLallo. This is already a high-maintenance recipe, so if I had to make fresh noodles or boil dry ones? I probably wouldn’t make the recipe. Using the no-boil sheets make it fairly easy, especially if you use leftover Bolognese!! If you do that, the only pot you have to dirty is the one for the béchamel sauce. Which, by the way, is so delish that you will want to drink it.
Seriously. It is RICH.
I like to make this in an 8×8 dish since it is very decadent. Serve it with a salad – do a Caesar or a house salad – and you only need to serve small pieces because it’s extremely satisfying. And if you want to add a fun cocktail, try this christmas punch!
Hello perfect meal.
Lasagna Bolognese
Lasagna Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
bechamel & noodles
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 9 ounce package no-boil whole wheat lasagna noodles
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add in the onions with the salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add in the garlic and mushrooms. Stir and cook for another 5 or 6 minutes, until the mushrooms soften. Add in the beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Brown it, stirring and breaking it apart, until it's cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, dried basil, oregano, pepper flakes and brown sugar. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add in the wine, tomatoes and parmesan. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for at least 30 minutes (or even longer if you wish!). You can make this ahead of time.
- To make your bechamel, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth to create a roux, then cook it for 3 to 4 minutes, until it's nutty and fragrant. Very slowly pour in the milk in small batches, whisking the entire time. Make sure to whisk the bottom to prevent sticking. Whisk in the nutmeg. Bring the mixture to a boil while whisking, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, whisking often, until thickened.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- To make the lasagna, spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray. Spread a spoonful of the bechamel in the bottom of the dish and layer with the lasagna noodles. Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the bolognese, about 1/2 cup of the bechemal sauce and a handful of the cheeses. Repeat this for 4 or 5 layers (or more/less if you can fit!) until you reach the top. I like to finish with a layer of noodles and cover it with the remaining sauce and cheese alone.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove and let stand for about 30 minutes before you slice into it. DELISH.
- You can make this ahead of time, it freezes and reheats very well!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
The layers though!
44 Comments on “Lasagna Bolognese.”
Classic savory comfort food; and I’m so glad you came over to the pro-tomato sauce side :)
thank you love!
If you were using leftover bolognese from The Pretty Dish, how much would you need?
you probably only need about half of that recipe! you could even get by with a little less. :)
This looks delicious.
thanks megan!
That looks amazing. I like to get a Beaujolais – low in tannins, and a little lighter, like the Pinot grape, but has a touch more flavor without being heavy. It goes well with heavy food (like your beef tenderloin!). My interest in alcohol changes with every baby. It’s interesting and irritating!
i most definitely have to try this! that’s such a good point – mine does as well!
love bolognese already and to “lasagna” it is a creative leap, nicely done and thank you for sharing this wonderfully creative recipe
thanks sabrina!! xo
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I am always craving tomato sauce so this looks like heaven – even at 10am! I cannot wait to try this out! And I love that you made it without ricotta! I love ricotta but I know so many people who don’t, so maybe I can get some lasagna-haters (like my husband) hooked on this recipe!
thank you ashlyn!! xo
Would you double the recipe to make it in a 13×9 pan?
fully doubling it may give you a little extra. you will probably have enough bechamel with the single recipe – if you don’t mind it being extra cheesy, i’d double it. save any extra meat sauce in the fridge and use it later for a quick dinner!
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Thank goodness I froze some of your bolognese recipe last time I made it! Excited to make this over the weekend!
just made and about to pop in the oven but what temp???
350!!
A friend made her lasagna this way with the bechamel and it was INSANE! Thanks for the recipe!
This was DELICIOUS. I wish I had made one 8×8 for dinner and another 8×8 to freeze. I got five layers in a 9×13 from one recipe with a little leftover sauce. Five Star Lasagne. Thank you!
This looks so yummy!!! I have a question about the wine-I’m not a wine drinker so know pretty much nothing about wines. Do you have a suggestion for a good dry red wine? Would port (I have some leftover from another recipe)?
Do you cover this with foil while baking?
I made this as written with “Our Favorite” Bolognese – delicious! Tons of leftover sauce as hoped. I didn’t check it until 40 minutes, and the top was burned so I recommend checking sooner in case you need to cover it.
I made this last night and it’s TO DIE FOR. We LOVED it!!!! I subbed corn starch for the flour and used GF lasagna noodles-kept everything else as written and it was divine.
Would you cook it for the same amount of time when doubling with a 9×13 pan?
yes i would do it for the same amount of time!
Late to respond but the SAME THING happened to me re: not liking tomato sauce outside of pizza until pregnant with my son. Now I find myself craving lasagna and chicken Parmesan, even after his birth!
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Could you make in the morning and bake later in the day?
yes! you absolutely can. :)
Awesome! Thanks for the swift reply. I’m planning on making next weekend for a little dinner party I’m having and want to get it assembled in the morning. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Made this for a little dinner party and it was a huge success! I should have used more sauce though or less layers. Next time….!
I’m trying this tonight.
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I made this vegan and it was fabulous! Just substituted Beyond Meat for the hamburger, used Violife mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, and used soymilk instead of cows’ milk in the bechamel. I was a bit nervous because it was my first time making a “meaty” vegan lasagna, and I was serving it at a dinner party, but it came out great. Thank you so much!
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I followed your directions to a t, twice, but it came out kind of dry and not very flavorful. I feel sad bc everything else I’ve tried from your blog has turned out well. 😞
I’m not familiar with the no bake noodles. The box says to add 1/2 cup of water or milk for every five pieces of dry lasagna used. Do I still do this or keep the recipe as is?