Beef Lasagne with Bechamel
Layers of lasagne sheets with a slow-simmered beef and passata ragu, a nutmeg-scented bechamel, and a golden parmesan crust. A comforting, hearty bake for six.
- Total
- 86 min
- Prep 20 · Cook 56 · Rest 10
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Medium
You'll practice: Searing · Making a roux
- No rush
- Savory
- Italian
- Comforting
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Finely chop the onion and carrot into 5 mm dice. Finely chop the garlic. Grate the parmesan.
~10 min
Preheating ensures the oven is at temperature when the lasagne goes in, and fine chopping helps the vegetables soften evenly.
-
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the beef mince and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until well browned, about 6 minutes. Season with 0.5 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper.
~6 min
High heat browns the mince for Maillard flavour, and breaking it up prevents clumps while seasoning early builds flavour.
Searing Use high heat and don't crowd the pan; let the mince brown deeply before stirring. A pale grey result means the pan was too cool.
-
Add the onion and carrot to the pan and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Pour in the passata, add 0.5 tsp salt, stir, and simmer gently until thickened, about 15 minutes.
~22 min
Simmering reduces the passata so the ragu thickens and clings rather than making the lasagne watery.
Let the ragu reduce until a spoon dragged through leaves a clear trail; a wet ragu makes the lasagne slide apart when sliced.
-
While step 3 cooks
While the ragu simmers, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the plain flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the 600 ml milk until smooth. Cook, whisking, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes. Season with 0.5 tsp salt, 0.25 tsp black pepper and the nutmeg.
~6 min
Cooking the flour in butter makes a roux that thickens the milk into a smooth sauce, and nutmeg complements the dairy.
Making a roux Cook the flour and butter together for a full minute to remove the raw flour taste. Whisk constantly and add milk gradually to avoid lumps.
-
Spread a thin layer of ragu in the base of the baking dish. Layer lasagne sheets, ragu, then bechamel. Repeat until all components are used, finishing with a layer of bechamel. Scatter the parmesan evenly over the top.
~8 min
Layering spreads the components evenly so every portion has the same ratio of pasta, ragu and bechamel.
No-boil lasagne sheets need enough bechamel to hydrate; if your sheets are the boil-first type, cook them 2 minutes less than the packet says so they finish in the oven.
-
Bake until the top is golden and bubbling and the pasta is tender when pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes. If the top browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
~30 min
Baking sets the layers and browns the top, while foil prevents over-browning before the pasta is tender.
-
Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes so the layers set before cutting into portions.
~10 min
Resting allows the layers to set and the juices to redistribute, so portions cut cleanly instead of sliding apart.