You might argue that lasagne is one of the world’s best meals. Originally developed in Italy, it’s popular in restaurants and homes across the world. Layer upon layer of perfectly cooked pasta, rich tomato sauce and creamy béchamel combine to make a filling meal that’s filling, tasty and warming. Add to that a little crusty garlic bread and you’re on to a winning meal.
There are many ways to vary lasagne – you can make it with meat or with a vegetable base, serve it with salad or fries or even shake up the flavour by adding in a curry sauce or other flavourings according to BBC Good Food.
The Perfect Lasagne
While you can play around with the ingredients, we’d argue that this classic lasagne recipe passed down through the generations in Italy remains the best. This means a carefully seasoned ragu to start with: lean minced beef sautéed with carrot and celery and, of course, a diced onion. Once cooked through, mix in a jar of rich tomato passata and season well. While this is simmering away nicely, you can start on the béchamel sauce. Simply mix flour and butter in a pan until they form a roux, add in the milk and stir until it’s thickened.
Layering Up the Dish
Once your pasta sheets are cooked through, begin layering up your lasagne, starting at the bottom with the ragu, followed by a layer of pasta sheets and then white sauce. After each layer of béchamel, we would recommend a generous sprinkling of parmesan to add some delicious rich flavour. Once you reach the top, a sprinkling of nutmeg on the top of the lasagne gives a subtle warm flavour. Bake in ovenable trays for around 40 minutes – trays from specialists such as these are perfect for the job https://www.southerncrosspackaging.com/ovenable-trays. The sauce should be bubbling away nicely when it’s fully cooked.
Once cooked through, serve with a generous helping of Italian salad – greens, cucumber, tomato and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar go perfectly with this hearty dish.