Classic Lasagne

This classic lasagne recipe is made entirely from scratch and there is truly nothing more comforting. A freshly baked lasagne made of homemade beef ragu, bechamel and pasta sheets topped with mozzarella is a comfort food favourite and perfect for the cold.

Ingredients: 

• 600g 00 flour

• 6 eggs

• 70g butter

• 70g flour

• 800ml milk

• 10g nutmeg

• 80g Parmesan cheese

• 200g mozzarella

• 60g carrot

• 60g celery

• 60g white onion

• 500g beef mince

• 500g pork mince

• 25g tomato paste

• 250ml red wine

• 400g tinned tomatoes

• 800ml beef stock

• 1 bay leaf

Method:  

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. For the ragu, finely chop the carrots, onion and celery, then sauté them gently in a large frying pan with olive oil. Once the vegetables are soft add in the beef and pork mince then cook until browned.

2. Add in the wine then let it reduce by half. Add in the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, beef stock and the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper then leave to simmer on low for 2 hours.

3. For the lasagne sheets, add all of the flour onto a clean work surface, then use the base of a bowl to make a well/dip in the flour. Crack in the whole eggs, then use a fork to whisk them together. Add in small amounts of the flour at a time as you whisk until a shaggy dough forms. Knead the dough for around 10 minutes then once smooth, wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

4. For the béchamel, create a light roux by melting the butter on low in a pan then stirring in the flour to make a paste. Whisk in small amounts of room temperature milk to the roux and keep whisking while it cooks and thickens. Add in the nutmeg and grated Parmesan, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Take off the heat and set aside until use.

5. For the pasta, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll out using a rolling pin to a couple of centimetres thick. Feed the dough into a pasta machine, and roll out until almost translucent. Slice the pasta sheets to your desired lengths then set aside.

6. To assemble the lasagne sheets, spoon a small amount of the ragu onto the base of the baking dish. Top with an even layer of lasagne sheets, then add some more ragu before topping with bechamel. Repeat the layers of pasta, ragu, and bechamel. Sprinkle the top of the lasagne with mozzarella then bake for 45-55 minutes until golden. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.