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All-Beef Lasagne

8–10 servings2 hrs 5 mins – 2 hrs 20 mins

A fast all-beef ragu layered with silky nutmeg bechamel and 6 to 8 thin sheets of fresh egg pasta.

Ingredients

Ragù
Béchamel
Pasta and cheese

Instructions

Ragù
1. Soften the grated aromatics | 5 mins
  • Heat
    Olive oil
    2 tbsp
     in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
  • Add
    Grated yellow onion
    1 large
    ,
    Grated carrots
    2 medium
     and
    Grated celery
    2 stalks
    , and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until they soften and give up their moisture.
  • Lift the vegetables out and set them aside.
2. Hard sear the beef | 8 mins
  • Add
    Ground beef chuck
    800 g
    80/20 fat ratio
     to the same pan and spread it into a single flat layer.
  • Leave it completely undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes, so a dark crust forms underneath.
  • Break the meat up, season with
    Salt
    to taste
     and
    Black pepper
    to taste
    , and cook until no longer pink.
3. Caramelize and deglaze | 5 mins
  • Push the beef out to the edges of the pan and drop
    Tomato paste
    3 tbsp
    double-concentrated
     and
    Minced garlic
    4 cloves
     into the middle.
  • Fry for about 2 minutes, until the paste turns a dark mahogany red.
  • Return the vegetables, pour in
    Dry white or red wine
    120 ml
     and scrape up the browned fond.
  • Let the wine evaporate completely.
4. Simmer hard | 15–20 mins
  • Pour in
    Crushed San Marzano tomatoes
    400 g
    canned
     and add
    Beef stock cube
    crumbled, 1
    .
  • Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer briskly for 15 to 20 minutes, until thick and no longer watery.
5. Finish with cream | 2 mins
  • Take the pan off the heat entirely.
  • Stir in
    Heavy cream
    60 ml
     to bind the sauce and give it a velvety finish.
  • Taste, and adjust the salt and pepper.
Béchamel
1. Make the béchamel | 12 mins
  • While the ragù simmers, melt
    Unsalted butter
    100 g
     in a separate saucepan over medium heat.
  • Whisk in
    All-purpose flour
    80 g
     and cook for 2 minutes, without letting it colour.
  • Stream in
    Warmed whole milk
    1 l
     slowly, whisking continuously, then simmer gently for 6 to 8 minutes until thick and creamy.
  • Off the heat, stir in
    Freshly grated nutmeg
    ½ tsp
    ,
    Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
    100 g
    ,
    Salt
    to taste
     and
    White pepper
    a pinch
    .
Pasta and cheese
1. Build the layers | 20 mins
  • Heat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C) and grease a deep 23 cm by 33 cm dish with
    Unsalted butter
    a knob
    for the dish
    .
  • Spread a very thin skim of bechamel across the base, so the first sheets neither stick nor burn.
  • Lay down
    Fresh egg pasta sheets
    rolled thin, blanched and patted dry, 450 g
    , then a thin even layer of ragu, then a light drizzle of bechamel, then a generous handful of
    Finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
    150 g
    aged 24 months
    .
  • Repeat that sequence up the dish, aiming for 6 to 8 thin pasta layers.
2. Cap and bake | 45–50 mins
  • Pour the rest of the bechamel over the final sheet and smooth it to the edges to seal them.
  • Scatter over the rest of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, then
    Shredded low-moisture mozzarella
    200 g
    .
  • Tent loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
3. Rest before slicing | 25–30 mins
  • Leave the lasagne at room temperature for 25 to 30 minutes before cutting, so the layers hold together.

Tips & Notes

  • Thin layers win: Six to eight thin pasta layers beat three or four thick ones. The dish slices cleanly and eats far lighter.
  • Why 80/20: Without pork there is less fat in the sauce, so leaner mince will dry it out.
  • Grate the soffritto: Grating the onion, carrot and celery saves about 10 minutes of softening and melts them into the sauce.