Lasagna al Forno (with Fresh Pasta and Bechamel) (2024)

Can I make Lasagna al Forno with store bought pasta?

Can Lasagna al Forno be made ahead of time?

Absolutely. This lasagna recipe can be assembled and baked ahead of time. When ready to serve, rebake (covered in foil) at 325° for 30 - 40 minutes or until heated to an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit.

What is the difference between lasagna and lasagne al forno?

Unlike Americanized lasagna, this authentic lasagne al forno recipe is made without ricotta cheese. Instead, this recipe used homemade lasagne noodles and a creamy béchamel sauce.

Can this recipe be made vegetarian?

Yes. If you would like to prepare this recipe without the beef bolognese recipe, you can use a vegetarian ragu sauce. We recommend using a sauce substitute that is thick and heavily reduced to avoid being too watery.

What is the difference between lasagna and lasagne

You may have noticed two different spellings for lasagna(e). In the Italian language, lasagna (ending with an 'a') refers to a single lasagna noodle. Lasagne (ending with an 'e') is plural and refers to several sheets of lasagna noodles, or the entire layered lasagne dish.

Lasagna Al Forno (Lasagna Bolognese)

• ▢ 1 recipe Ragu Alla Bolognese slightly or completely cooled
• ▢ ½ recipe Fresh Lasagna Noodles From our Homemade Semolina Pasta Dough Recipe (or 10 - 15 no-boil lasagna noodles OR dried, cooked and cooled lasagna noodles)
• ▢ 1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (Parmesan Besciamella)
• ▢ 8 ounce fresh mozzarella cheese drained and sliced
• ▢ ½ Cup Parmesan cheese freshly shredded or grated

Ragu Alla Bolognese (Beef Bolognese)

• ▢ ¼ Cup olive oil
• ▢ ½ large yellow onion finely chopped
• ▢ 1 medium carrot finely chopped
• ▢ 1 stalk celery finely chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
• ▢ 1 pound ground beef or veal
• ▢ 6 ounces tomato paste 1 small can
• ▢ 1 Cup dry red wine (or beef stock) (we used an inexpensive Chianti)
• ▢ 2 Cups whole milk
• ▢ 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes 1 large can, certified San Marzano tomatoes recommended
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 5 - 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• ▢ fine kosher salt* to taste, about 2 - 3 Tablespoons
• ▢ Freshly-ground black pepper to taste, about ½ - 1 Tablespoon

Fresh Lasagna Noodles

• ▢ 1 ¼ Cups semolina flour
• ▢ 1 ¼ Cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 large whole egg (about 1 ¾ ounces) room temperature
• ▢ 5 large egg yolks (about 6 ¾ ounces) room temperature
• ▢ Water as needed, about 2+ Tablespoons

Bechamel Sauce (Parmesan Besciamella)

• ▢ 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2½ Cups whole milk
• ▢ 1½ Cups Parmesan cheese freshly grated or shredded
• ▢ fine kosher salt* to taste, about 1 teaspoon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated, optional

Ragu Alla Bolognese (Beef Bolognese)

• In a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and sauté about 10 - 15 minutes or until aromatic and tender.

• Increase heat to medium-high and add ground beef. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned. Once browned, add tomato paste and stir to combine.

• Add red wine, stir, and bring to a simmer uncovered for 5 - 10 minutes until alcohol has mostly cooked off and the liquid has reduced in the pot. Add milk and stir. Reduce heat and allow the mixture to simmer gently, uncovered, for 30 - 45 minutes until the milk has greatly reduced.

• Add whole peeled tomatoes, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes, for 2½ - 3½ hours or until the sauce is very thick and flavorful. Remove thyme and bay leaves. Allow Bolognese to cool slightly, or prepare ahead of time and refrigerate overnight, before layering into the lasagna.

Fresh Lasagna Noodles

• In a medium mixing bowl, add semolina and bread flours and whisk to combine. Transfer flour mixture in a mound on a smooth, clean work surface. Shape a well in the center of your flour.

• Add the egg, egg yolks and about 1 Tablespoon (15 milliliters) of water to the well. Using a fork, begin to whisk the eggs and water together until smoothly combined. Continue whisking, while slowly bringing flour into the eggs to form a smooth paste.

• Once most of the pasta flour is incorporated and the dough begins to come together, switch from using the fork to using your bench scraper. Scrape the dough up from your work surface and fold it over itself. Use the bench scraper to chop the mixture together and evenly distribute the flour throughout a shaggy dough. If the dough is too dry to come together, drizzle a little additional water over the mass of dough and continue to combine with the bench scraper.

• Use your hands to pull the dough together and knead. Use the mass of dough to pick up any scraggly dough scraps or loose flour on your work surface. The dough should be firm and may be slighlty tacky but should not stick to your hands or the work surface.

  Once all the flour is incorporated and dough is hom*ogenous, form into a ball. Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic wrap to prevent drying. Allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.

• Sheet pasta dough into lasagna noodles. Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into 8 portions. Work with one portion at a time, keep the remaining dough covered with your damp cloth or plastic wrap to prevent drying.

  Sheet portions of pasta dough about 1 millimeter thick using a rolling pin or pasta machine. For more details and a visual guide of sheeting homemade pasta dough, visit ourHomemade Semolina Pasta Dough recipe post.

  *Fresh lasagne noodles do not need to be cooked before assembling and baking.

Bechamel Sauce (Parmesan Besciamella)

• In a medium sauce pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to combine. Cook for one minute. While whisking, slowly add whole milk. Bring mixture to a simmer, whisking frequently.

• Once simmering, whisk in Parmesan cheese a little at a time until completely melted, thickened and smooth, about 3 - 5 minutes. Season with salt and nutmeg to taste. Set sauce aside until ready to assemble the lasagna.

  The sauce will thicken as it cools and it is okay to assemble the lasagna with the cooled sauce.

Assembling the Lasagna Al Forno

• Arrange a rack in the center third of the oven and preheat to 375° Fahrenheit (190° celsius).

• To assemble the lasagna, start by adding a small amount of Ragu Alla Bolognese to the bottom of your baking dish. Then, add your first layer of lasagna pasta.

• Top the pasta with about ⅕ of the Bechamel Sauce. Then, add a thick layer of Ragu Alla Bolognese, about 1 ½ - 2 Cups.

• Repeat layering lasagna pasta noodles with Parmesan Besciamella and Beef Bolognese sauce until the pan is nearly full. The top layer of the lasagna should be the last fifth (or so) of the became sauce topped with slices of fresh mozzarella and the ½ Cup (50 grams) of Parmesan cheese. (See Notes b. & c.)

• Cover the lasagne with a piece of tinfoil coated in non-stick cooking spray (to prevent the cheese from sticking). Bake lasagna on a sheet tray for 35 - 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 5 - 10 minutes or until lasagne is bubbling around the edges and the cheese is golden brown.

• Allow the lasagne al forno to rest at room-temperature for 10 - 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Buon appetito!

foodworthfeed recipes are developed using Diamond brand kosher salt. If using iodized or table salt, reduce quantities by about half.

a. Leftover Semolina Pasta Dough can be frozen and/or used to make various pasta shapes. Search our tutorials for fettuccine, pappardelle, farfalle, rigatoni and more.

If using boxed and dried lasagne pasta noodles, we recommend slightly undercooking the pasta to avoid a mushy lasagna texture. After boiling, transfer the hot pasta noodles into an ice bath for 30 seconds to stop the cooking. The pasta will finish cooking in the oven as the lasagna bakes.

b. You may have some leftover Bolognese sauce. You can serve the lasagna with the extra sauce or save it for a pizza or pappardelle meal.

c. The lasagne can be assembled and refrigerated up to 1 day in advance of baking. If baking the lasagne from cold, you may need to increase the baking time by 10 - 20 minutes.