Lasagna Bolognese
The perfect lasagna marries the silky, meaty richness of Bologna’s ragù with creamy besciamella.
- Makes8 to 10 servings
- Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
- Active time plus cooling20 minutes active, plus cooling
- 14
In Bologna, ragù Bolognese is a silky, rich meat sauce to serve over pasta or polenta. Married to creamy besciamella (the Italian version of French béchamel sauce), it makes a terrific lasagna. We also pair it with tagliatelle. Our take on lasagna Bolognese was inspired by a version we ate at Osteria Broccaindosso in Bologna. We liked Barilla oven-ready lasagna noodles for this recipe, preferring them even over fresh sheet pasta. Both the ragù and the besciamella should be warm for lasagna assembly; the ragù reheats well in a large saucepan over medium and the besciamella can be microwaved in a covered 1-quart liquid measuring cup or medium microwave-safe bowl. A serrated knife is best for cutting the lasagna for serving.
Don’t use the noodles without first soaking them. Unsoaked noodles absorb moisture from both the ragù and besciamella, leaving the lasagna too dry. But don’t soak them for longer than 10 minutes.
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