A lasagne recipe that’ll knock your socks off

When the paths of pasta and oven baked goodness collide, comfort food like no other is born. Most people think their mum’s is the best lasagne recipe out there, but if you haven’t yet settled on the one you want your cooking to be synonymous with, try this decadent dish out for size.

Ingredients (makes enough to feed 6–8 people):

300–500g lasagne sheets (depending on the size of your dish)
Bolognese sauce (same amount as we made in our bolognese recipe)

For the béchamel sauce

1.2L whole milk
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
Sprig of thyme
Sprig of parsley
6–8 peppercorns (or add to taste)
120g butter
120g plain flour
100g Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Then begin preparing the ragù from this recipe. Allow to cool slightly whilst you make the béchamel sauce, also known as a white sauce.
2. Place the milk in a large saucepan and add the carrot, onion, thyme, parsley and peppercorns. Bring to a light simmer, then remove from the heat and allow the flavours to infuse for 10 minutes. Pour through a sieve into a jug and discard the bits.
3. In another saucepan, heat the butter until it melts and stir through the flour. This forms the counter part of a classic white sauce roux. Slowly add the milk, whisking continuously, until the sauce has thickened. Allow the sauce to cook on a low heat for a few minutes.
4. Spread a little béchamel sauce over the base of the lasagna dish. A 33cm dish will work fine, like this rectangular dish from Le Creuset would do the trick. Cover with a layer of pasta sheets. Try not to overlap them. For oven dishes with rounded corners, break a small corner off your lasagna sheet for a more snug fit.
5. Spread some of the meaty ragù over the pasta (remember it is a very rich sauce so not much is needed). Then spread another layer of béchamel over the ragù, then top with some grated parmesan.

6. Continue layering until you’ve used up all the sauce. About 2–4 layers depending on how much you use. Finally, top with béchamel sauce, sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese and place in the oven.

7. Bake for 30–40 minutes until the dish is bubbly, golden and brown on top. Serve immediately with a crisp, green salad.

Making your own pasta will take you on another journey of pasta perfection entirely, but time doesn’t always allow, so lasagne sheets come in quite handy. If you want to master the art of all things pasta, read our 101 on pasta.

With thanks to Jules Mercer for her beautiful recipes and styling.