Restaurant Style Lasagna Bolognese
When it comes to comfort food Lasagna Bolognese is at the top of my list. And making a delicious restaurant-style Lasagna Bolognese is easier than you think.
Servings: 12
Calories: 422kcal
Equipment
- 9 x 13 inch pan
Ingredients
Bolognese Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ cup celery food processor or finely chopped
- ½ cup carrot food processor or finely chopped
- ½ cup onion food processor or finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 16 ounces ground beef
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes San Marzano is my choice
- ⅓ cup red wine
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp basil fresh or dry finely chopped
- 2 tsp parsley fresh finely chopped
- 1½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup heavy cream or half and half
- ½ cup grated Romano cheese
Tomato Sauce
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes San Marzano is my choice
- 1 clove garlic finely chopped
- ¼ cup onion fine dice
- 1 tbsp fresh basil chopped
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Ricotta Filling
- 32 ounces ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup grated Romano cheese
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon dry basil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Lasagna
- 12 pasta sheets
- 2 cups tomato sauce homemade or your favorite brand
- 2 cups Bolognese sauce *if you like a meatier lasagna use 3 cups of Bolognese
- ricottta filling
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
- 1 tsp fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
Bolognese Sauce
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat, add the chopped vegetables and let them begin to caramelize (about 4-5 minutes). Add the chopped garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes
- Remove the cooked vegetables (soffritto) from the pot and save until needed.
- Add the olive oil and ground beef to the pan. Season with sea salt and black pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes until it browns. When the ground beef is fully cooked break it up with a wire whip or spoon.
- Add the red wine to the hot pan. It will deglaze the pan, releasing all the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a large spoon to help get all the stuck bits loose.
- Return the reserved soffritto to the pot, mix well and allow to cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, milk, basil and parsley, mixing well. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream and Romano cheese, mix well to incorporate the cream and cheese into the sauce.
- Re-season with sea salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste and simmer for 5 minutes.
- *Feel free to add additional seasonings if you like your sauce spicier. I added an additional one teaspoon of garlic and onion powders to the sauce.
Tomato Sauce
- In a small pot over medium-high heat, saute the onion and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add crushed tomatoes to the pot. Season with sea salt and black pepper
- Simmer for 30 minutes over low heat. Add chopped basil and reseason if necessary.
Ricotta Filling
- Place the ricotta cheese in a large mixing bowl
- Add the eggs, cheese and seasonings and mix until fully blended.
Lasagna
- Add a layer of the bolognese sauce to the bottom of your baking dish.
- Add a thin layer of tomato sauce to the bottom of your casserole dish
- Add the first layer of noodles, followed by another layer of tomato sauce.
- Add the first layer of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, adding a light layer of tomato sauce on top of the ricotta.
- Add the next layer of noodles
- Add the bolognese layer on top of the noodles
- Add the next layer of lasagna noodles, followed with a light layer of tomato suace.
- Add the final layer of the ricotta mixture. Top the ricotta mixture with the last layer of lasagna noodles.
- Finish the lasagna by adding the shredded mozzarella, grated Romano cheese and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley
- Cover with non-stick foil or spray the food side of regular foil to make sure it doesn’t stick to the cheese.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 60 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake for 7-10 more minutes.
- Allow Lasagna to rest for 7-10 minutes before cutting, to let it firm up.
- Serve with a salad and enjoy!
Notes
**If using dry lasagna noodles, don’t cook them first. You will need to let the lasagna sit for 12-24 hours before baking if you use dry uncooked noodles but it will come out perfectly!
Nutrition
Calories: 422kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 819mg | Potassium: 398mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 784IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 417mg | Iron: 2mg